We have recently started a chapter here in Hershey, PA, however are in the beginning stages and looking to expand. Given that this is a large hospital/facility, there are many steps and processes we must go through to keep on growing the chapter from a legal and financial standpoint per policy. In order to have the appropriate liability in place, we have to develop documents and protocols for the overall process of selection, wiring, seat modifications, etc. I was curious if anyone would be willing/able to share with use the “behind the scenes” information from your chapter. If you’re willing and interested in helping us, we would greatly appreciate it.
Hi, I assume you saw all the forms that are in the post right above this. I am including three more that we use, which I am hoping are complementary to those already posted. First is an Application form that supports discussion among the parents, therapists, and engineer of what modifications are needed. We also use that form during construction to make sure we didn’t forget anything. Second is a form we use to discuss the warranty. This has several purposes. First, if the parents got the car from us, we want to make sure they understand they get free repairs so they don’t hesitate to bring it in. And if they didn’t get the car from us, it clarifies their obligation. Finally, it makes it clear what they have to do (and can’t do) to take care of the car. Third is the checklist we use for training the parents when they pick up the car. They have to sign that we instructed them about the operation and safety, so they can’t come back and say they weren’t told. Sometimes I have augmented this with an additional page if the modifications were unusual. There are other forms they sign for picture waivers and volunteer liability, but the ones we use for that are pretty much the same as others that are posted here. Hope this is helpful!
Best regards,
– Doug
Thanks for the forms and a good addition to the other liability/waiver documents we already have.
Looking through the applications form, one of the adaptions is an interval timer. What is that ?
Hi Nick,
Good question, thanks. It is an electronic box that connects between the activation switch and the rest of the electronics in the car. When the activation switch is jabbed, the timer effectively “holds the switch down” for the desired interval of time. So if the child initially jabs or swats at the switch instead of holding it down, the timer runs the car forward for a few seconds (which we can select) even if the activation switch is released, so the child gets a ride instead of the car simply jerking. We have had children who were just too unsteady to hold the switch down, and they got a jerky ride which bothered them. Also, on certain cars (Maserati is one) the manufacturer tried to include a “smooth slow start” but the delay is long enough so some children get impatient and lose “cause and effect”.
There is a commercial version available here: https://www.ablenetinc.com/dual-switch-latch-timer but it is hard to set for small intervals, seems to go through batteries quickly, and worst is very expensive. So I have taken to making my own – see attached. These cost me less than $15, but it is hard to adjust the time when we are trying to experiment initially to find out what the child needs. After that it seems to work OK.
Hope this is helpful.
Best regards,
– Doug
