Charleston, South Carolina has made a name for itself has a vacation hotspot. Offering entertainment for people of all ages, the popular southern city attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Despite its fame regarding tourism and scenic beauty, Charleston boasts something even more important: a strong community that cares about its members.
Earlier this month, a local woman received help doing something most people take completely for granted: getting in and out of her house. Operation Home, a non-profit focused on building ramps for those with limited mobility, teamed up with two nearby churches to make this woman’s life a little bit easier. Young volunteers worked with knowledgeable professionals to construct the wheelchair ramp through the blistering heat and humidity (which eventually turned to muddy rain) to get the job done.
However, South Carolina is a state of around 5 million people — this one Charleston woman is far from being the only member of the public with mobility issues. According to a survey taken in 2012, around 8.5% of South Carolina’s population stated that they had an “ambulatory” disability, which encompasses walking and movement. With so high a demand (and one that seems to be increasing as the years pass), the need for more mobility-focused services has arisen.
Fortunately, around 98% of public transportation buses are equipped to handle wheelchairs. Getting a vehicle that is wheelchair-accessible outside of that can be a lot more difficult — you shouldn’t have to ride the bus simply because it’s the only transportation service that’s built to handle your needs.
Kaye Crenshaw, owner of Mobility Supercenter, and her family understood that importance when they built their first store in 1994. Crenshaw’s team is focused on the individual: they understand that no two customers (and their respective needs) are alike, so all vehicles are entirely customizable. If you want flash and style, you can incorporate a wheelchair ramp into a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT; if you want affordable and reliable, you can find a suitable used car to fit your needs.
“That is what Mobility Supercenter is focused on: life. The team there wants to help you (or your loved one) live the life you want independent of limited mobility. A vehicle might look like just a van or truck, but it can be a ticket to getting back to the life a person wants to live.”