If the guestlist for a funeral you're arranging includes a person who uses a wheelchair, these tips might come in handy.
Make sure the seating arrangement in the funeral home is wheelchair-friendly
Most modern funeral homes are designed to be accessible by those with disabilities; this means that your guest who uses a wheelchair should have no difficulty entering, moving around or exiting these premises. However, even if the funeral director confirms to you that their premises are wheelchair friendly, you should still pop over to the funeral home and assess the room which you have booked for the funeral service.
The reason for this is as follows; you might need to make a few small adjustments to the seating arrangements in this room to ensure that it can accommodate your guest's wheelchair if this room was previously used for a funeral which was not attended by any wheelchair users.
For example, if your guest will be in the front row of seats and the space between this row of seats and the area where the casket will be placed is quite narrow, you might need to have the funeral home employees push each row of chairs back a bit so that there is enough space at the front for your guest to move around. Additionally, you should ask your guest for the width of their wheelchair and then check that the aisle between the two seating areas is wide enough ; if it isn't, you may have to ask for the seating areas to be pushed to the sides slightly to increase the size of the aisle.
Ensure that you pick a car for the procession that your friend can travel in
Lots of people hire limousines or larger cars that can accommodate many of the deceased's closest relatives and friends for the funeral procession. If you will be doing this, you must ensure that the vehicle you hire has at least one door which is large enough for your wheelchair-using guest to fit through whilst they're in their chair, and you must ensure that it comes with a ramp. Additionally, it must have space in its boot for the folded-up wheelchair.
If you're struggling to find a vehicle that meets these requirements, ask the funeral home employees for help. They will almost certainly have been asked about this before and should be able to refer you to a vehicle rental company that has a wheelchair-friendly funeral car.
Contact a local funeral home to learn more.
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