spacer
How can we help you?
spacer
Mobility Vans
spacer
Wheelchair Lifts
 
wheelchair van blog
Ilderton Conversion Kicks Off Dealer Donation Drive
Last week we had a very welcome visit from a long-time friend of The Braun Corporation. Tim Ilderton, President of Ilderton C... Read more...

"I ended up purchasing your product since you have been in business for such a long time doing these conversions."
Danny, Kentucky
Connect with us on Facebook! Keep up with what's happening at BraunAbility Email us your comments or questions. See BraunAbility customer testimonial videos, special event coverage, vehicle impact tests, and more on YouTube! Connect With Us

News and Press

Subscribe to RSS Feed

July 20, 2010
Braun Offers Vehicle Conversions for Popular Honda, Toyota Minivans

Braun Offers Vehicle Conversions for Popular Honda, Toyota Minivans

The Braun Corp, Winamac, Indiana, introduces two all-new BraunAbility products - the 2010 Honda Odyssey Entervan and the 2011 Toyota Sienna Rampvan® XT. The company says it now offers a lowered-floor conversion for the three most popular minivans in the US market.

With these accessible vehicles, wheelchair users have the option to ride as passengers or, if able, to drive the van. According to Census data, there are approximately 4.3 million wheelchair users in the nation, including veterans, seniors, adults, and children with disabilities. “Mobility is not a luxury; it’s a necessary component to an independent life,” said Nick Gutwein, Braun’s president.

»Read more...
June 25, 2010
Rising Above the Recession

Rising Above the Recession

Thanks to sound business strategies -- and some good fortune -- BraunAbility and KI overcame the recession and are poised for growth.

»Read more...
May 7, 2010
Toyota completely redesigns 2011 Sienna

Toyota completely redesigns 2011 Sienna

Maneuverable, roomy minivan has conversions available for those with mobility challenges

»Read more...
May 4, 2010
BraunAbility Wheelchair Vans Help Disabled People With Daily Life

BraunAbility Wheelchair Vans Help Disabled People With Daily Life

One of the biggest ways a person in a wheelchair can get that feeling back is to have the ability to drive again. Besides, a lot people with disabilities were driving enthusiasts before they were ever in wheelchairs. So why shouldn’t they have the ability to take pleasure drives (or make trips to the grocery store) just like the rest of us? That is where BraunAbility Wheelchair access vans come into play.

»Read more...
April 26, 2010
BraunAbility President, Nick Gutwein, quoted in The New York Times article

BraunAbility President, Nick Gutwein, quoted in The New York Times article "Smoothing the Way"

People with disabilities never have an easy time traveling, but a rash of recent improvements, including more wheelchair-accessible taxis and rental vehicles — and even Web sites for people with dexterity or vision problems — have made it easier.

»Read more...
March 15, 2010
USA TODAY - Minivans add extra set of wheels for wheelchair users

USA TODAY - Minivans add extra set of wheels for wheelchair users

A few companies have are cutting an interesting market segment out for themselves with handicapped-accessible minivans. One of them is BraunAbility, which converts Toyota Sienna minivans to accomodate wheelchairs with a side ramp.

»Read more...
January 18, 2010

Collaboration, Inclusion Help Create that "Small-Town" Feeling

A small-town atmosphere is how director of Human Resources Cindy Garnett describes the work environment at BraunAbility, which also describes the actual geographic location of the company's headquarters and manufacturing facility in Winamac, Indiana.

»Read more...
December 9, 2009
Ralph Braun quoted in The Wall Street Journal

Ralph Braun quoted in The Wall Street Journal

Ralph Braun, CEO of The Braun Corporation, was quoted in The Wall Street Journal today. The article entitled "Obama Pushes New Job Stimulus" was in the December 9th, 2009 edition on page A2.

»Read more...
December 8, 2009
Inc. Magazine article - How I Did It: Ralph Braun of BraunAbility

Inc. Magazine article - How I Did It: Ralph Braun of BraunAbility

Inc. MagazineRalph Braun, founder of BraunAbility, has spent his life thumbing his nose at spinal muscular atrophy, the disease that put him in a wheelchair. A born gearhead, Braun got moving again by building a battery-powered scooter and, later, a wheelchair lift for his van. Slowly, he turned these innovations into a business with $200 million in annual sales. Braun eventually closed the scooter business to focus on the lifts. But before he did, Braun made himself a lifetime supply of his scooters. "It's part of my wardrobe to have one of my triwheelers," he says.

MOBILITY MAN In the early years of his business, Ralph Braun drove 50,000 miles a year in one of his lift-equipped vans

»Read more...
December 7, 2009
Braun Racing flourishing in Nationwide Series

Braun Racing flourishing in Nationwide Series

At a time when many NASCAR teams are shrinking, Braun Racing is expanding, and at a time when independent Nationwide Series teams are struggling to keep up, Braun Racing appears to be flourishing.

Part-time Braun Racing driver Brian Vickers has his car serviced during the NASCAR Nationwide Stater Brothers 300 at Auto Club Speedway in February.

In a series that has seen more than its share of car owners come and go in the last several years, Todd Braun has somehow managed to survive – and grow. Next year, he plans to field four full-time entries in the Nationwide Series, all with full sponsorship.

»Read more...
November 1, 2009
A bump in the road: senior housing operators watch the auto industry with interest

A bump in the road: senior housing operators watch the auto industry with interest

With the future of the American automotive industry still in limbo, many consumers in the market for new vehicles remain cautious about where and how to spend their dollars. A large number of seniors housing operators are among that group.

Consumers, for example, have worried aloud whether a vehicle purchased today will be adequately supported if a manufacturer pauses a product line, or scraps it altogether. Others have wondered whether standard features of the past will become costlier add-ons in an effort to boost revenues – and, at the same time, whether some previously available upgrades and accessories will cease being offered in the future.

»Read more...
October 17, 2009

Teen wins van, NASCAR trip

LEBANON - Kody Harlow is coming down from an action-packed weekend that took him on a whirlwind day trip to North Carolina, put him in the pit with racing pros and in a van that took a lap around the track as thousands cheered. »Read more...
October 16, 2009

Boy to get trip around NASCAR track

The 14-year-old may use a wheelchair, but Kody isn’t about to miss out on the thrills of teenage life. And now, he’s got the right vehicle to hit the streets in. Kody, of Clearcreek Twp., and his family will fly to Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Oct. 16, to meet Sprint Cup racer Jason Leffler and receive a handicapped-equipped van and wheelchair from Leffler’s sponsor, Braun Ability. Leffler will take the family on a lap around the track at the Lowe’s Speedway in the van prior to a race. Kody won the van through an essay contest sponsored by Braun, beating out more than 6,000 entrants.

»Read more...
October 7, 2009

Toyota and BraunAbility Announce Winner of "Ultimate Fan Van Giveaway"

REUTERS: Kody was one of 6,000 contestants who submitted essays explaining their need for the van and how it would impact their life. Three of Kody`s brothers as well as his mother all have mitochondrial disease, which affects the cells responsible for converting energy for the body. Kody`s condition has led to multiple system diseases, requiring him to use a wheelchair to conserve energy. The van the family currently owns is in disrepair, greatly limiting Kody`s mobility, putting a strain on the family and ultimately motivating them to enter the contest.

»Read more...
October 2, 2009

Special Report by Ralph Braun published in BusinessWeek

Disabled Workers; Employer Fears Are Groundless

Studies show that hiring the disabled does not lead to higher accommodation costs, worker comp, or sick leave, yet these myths persist...

»Read more...