BraunAbility Wheelchair Van for Families
As a husband and father of teenage twins, Gumbert finds his wheelchair van brings family and friends together.
He said, "My daughter and I love to drive together. That's our thing. We basically get in the van and say, 'Where do you want to go?' and just drive until we find something. We find hole-in-the-wall places out in the middle of nowhere. That's something that we truly enjoy. We've gone to an African safari place where you could drive through and see animals from your car. We've been to museums. We've been to amusement parks."
A self-proclaimed family and community "Uber driver," Gumbert said he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I love the van because it's my way of sharing stuff with the kids. It's my way of connecting to them," he said.
He also enjoys sharing transportation duties within his community, often taking his son to football practice along with fellow teammates.
According to Gumbert, his van is popular among many kids in the community.
"Everybody wants to ride because they love the ramp. It comes out, it's lit up with LED lights, and the kids think it's really cool," he said.
When Gumbert hears kids say they want to ride in his van, he feels empowered, helping to "smash stereotypes about disability" and showing others that people with disabilities can drive and live independently. While Gumbert enjoys driving his van, he'll soon be able to give up the self-proclaimed title of "family Uber driver." As his kids work to get their licenses, they'll learn to drive his van, which Gumbert said will be especially helpful in situations of accessible parking misuse.
