How can I get from point A to point B safely in a driver-centric town like Houston?  How will I be able to get my kids, laundry, dog and groceries home in one vehicle?  How user-friendly will the vehicle be?  How affordable will it be?  These are just a few of the important questions customers ask employees of Adaptive Driving Access about their products and vehicles.  Judging from the range of expertise and candor to which these questions were answered by the staff, customer service has a new name – ADA.

Adaptive Driving Access Inc., or ADA for short, is a licensed Texas Independent Mobility Dealer and boasts to be Southeast Texas' largest handicap van and mobility equipment dealer, and as far as we can tell, they're absolutely right. But it's not just their size and inventory; we all know sometimes large dealerships can lose touch with their customer base. To ADA's owners, managers and employees, it's about attention to detail, care of the individual customer and a continued relationship that offers the 'above and beyond' concept of service to its constituency.

ADA opened in Houston fifteen years ago by Tom Poole who started the company more as a passion to serve the disabled population as opposed to conventional entrepreneurship.  Tom’s brother-in-law Lacy was severely injured in a car accident in 1992 which, after extensive rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann, left him wheelchair-bound.  After purchasing some mobility equipment designed to help Lacy get in and out of his vehicle, Tom decided to open up his own business that catered directly to this underserved population, and hence, ADA was born.

Since then, ADA has expanded its service area and maintenance to two state of the art facilities in the Greater Houston Area.  Their Pasadena location features a 13,000 sq ft facility complete with, service bays, vehicle lifts and a showroom to display their product line.  In 2006, ADA opened up their second location square in Northwest Houston which eventually moved to the company’s newest and largest facility on Beltway 8 at 249 in May 2010.  Having two locations in the north and south sides of Houston allows ADA to serve their clientele and provide not only convenience and accessibility, but increased maintenance capacity.

Many of ADA’s customers are disabled veterans of the Armed Forces, receiving care at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.  The Texas Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), located across the street from the VA Medical Center, is proud to have ADA as one of their chief sponsors.  PVA President and National Director David Fowler states that “throughout the years, ADA has always stepped up to the plate in assisting our members and I believe the disabled community as a whole to provide accessible driving needs.”  In regard to their customer service, Fowler comments that ADA staff “thoroughly explains the different options in assisting the veterans in meeting their needs for vehicles which allows them the independence that everyone strives to achieve.   Not only have they helped our members in this way, they have been more than eager to help sponsor different events that the disabled community as a whole needs which insures that we are able to meet our key objective.”  PVA is an organization dedicated to helping veterans and their families with accessibility issues, civil rights, VA benefits, transportation issues, and new laws to enhance the lives of people with disabilities.  Additionally, ADA is involved with DARS, the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services. They are an approved vendor and work closely with DARS employees to ensure their clients are receiving the most reliable mobility equipment on the market.

ADA’s commitment to its clientele is a testament to their continued success as a local adaptive retailer in the region.  Even their motto  “refuse to slow down in life” illustrates their mission to empower those living with disabilities to increase their level of activity through adaptive mobility concepts whether that’s purchasing your own vehicle, lift or driving aid, ADA puts you and your family in the driver’s seat.


John@LoneStarVeterans.org

Resources:
Adaptive Driving Access (ADA)
http://www.adaptivedriving.com/
888-553-6003

Disaboom.com
http://www.disaboom.com/

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)
http://www.pva.org/

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
http://www.dav.org/

Texas Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services
www.dars.state.tx.us

Abilities Expo - Houston
http://www.abilitiesexpo.com/houston/ambassador_program.html