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Is it the whisper of wind through aspen leaves?  Or the early morning dew glistening with the sunrise. Maybe it's the absence of manmade clutter.  Whatever it is, the elixir known as The Great Outdoors is a powerful force.    For Todd Inman of Salt Lake City, Utah it was life.  An avid archer, hunter, fisherman and golfer, Todd's recreation room was a big one, compliments of Mother Nature.  

But on February 12, 1999 a dump truck lost its brakes, slammed into Todd's pick-up and left him paralyzed from the neck down.  In Todd's mind, his outdoor days were over.  Nine years later, Todd has been fortunate to recover enough to get out of a wheelchair, walk with crutches and pursue his outdoor passions again.  These days, you're likely to find him heading out in his truck and camping trailer laden with archery equipment, golf clubs, fishing gear, ATV's...anything to enhance his outdoor fun.

For Todd that wasn't enough.  He felt he needed  to give something back, to do something so others with injuries like his, including those in wheelchairs, wouldn't have to sit home and "wave to people out the front door" as they headed out to play in The Great Outdoors.

So Todd came up with the idea of designing an affordable camping trailer that could accommodate someone in a wheelchair.

An owner of a trailer himself, Todd enlisted the help of Terry's RV Center in Salt Lake City.  He purchased a 23 foot Sandstorm Trailer manufactured by Forest River, and collaborated with TRAILS (Therapeutic Recreation and Independent LifeStyles), a program for people with spinal cord injuries associated with the University of Utah Hospital; and assist, a community design center that specializes in accessible design, in redesigning the floor plan of the trailer to be completely accessible.  The retrofitting of the trailer was done by Terry's RV Center.  The recently completed trailer features an automatic ramp, which is actually the rear wall of the trailer that lowers to allow wheelchair accessibility.  The design team also removed walls, lowered countertops and controls, and widened doorways.  The end result is a prototype of a completely accessible recreational trailer that anyone can purchase.

"If I can get one person to get up and get out, then it will all be worthwhile," says Todd. "The real beauty of the project is that now anyone can call and order this completely accessible trailer without having to buy a trailer and have it retrofitted.  The floor plan and prototype already exists."

The fully equipped trailer offers amenities like air conditioning, microwave oven, TV, water heater, generator and more, so that anyone can enjoy camping with all the comforts.  And according to Todd, this is meant to be an affordable trailer, selling for under $30,000.  It's also lightweight, so it can be towed with a half ton pickup or van.

If you'd like to know more about this accessible trailer, or order one for yourself, you can contact Gary DeJong at Terry's RV Center in Salt Lake City at 801-573-8444, or via email at Gary@terrysrvcenter.com. Or you can visit http://www.terrysrvcenter.com/.  Or contact Tanja Kari at TRAILS, tanja.kari@hsc.utah.edu  (801) 581-8910.  To see the floor plan before it was modified, go to http://www.forestriverinc.com/  click on "Recreational Vehicles", click on"Toyhaulers", select "Southwest" and click on "Sandstorm".  The floor plan is model T23FBSPL.  Nationwide, any Forest River dealer can provide the accessible version.

Resources:

TRAILS - Therapeutic Recreation and Independent Lifestyles, University of Utah

http://healthcare.utah.edu/rehab/community/trails.html

assist - A community design center.  http://www.assistutah.org/

Terry's RV Center - http://www.terrysrvcenter.com/