Help Us Reach Patreon Goal #4 - Live Broadcasts - And get the Wheelchair Accessible RPG Bus Up and Running
Since you asked, goal #4, "Contact Other Plane", Live Monthly RPG Research Broadcast. We are now at $102/mo, and $250/mo will unlock this 4th level. The benefit is that in addition to the broadcast, it will also help us get the Wheelchair accessible RPG Bus up and running. (in addition to the existing Wheelchair Friendly RPG Trailer Prototype)...
Provide your support through Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/12445750\\
Since people asked what the next goal was, it is:
$250. Contact Other Plane - PATREON LIVE MONTHLY BROADCAST/HANGOUT!
Monthly live 30+ minute video broadcast, with interactive Patreon audience. Live for Patrons at the $25+/Hero Level, recorded for later release to lower levels and even later for the general public. Broadcasts begin after 2 sustained months in a row at this level.
This Goal enables me to save up enough over several months to get the RPG Bus up and running. A 1984 large activity bus that has a wheelchair lift. It would also possibly be able to pull the RPG Trailer, and reduce the costs of maintenance on my QX-56.
The longer explanation...
While we work toward the goal to build the ideal RPG Trailer, which requires $6,000 USD down payment, and costs around $50k, and has to go through a LOT of Washington State bureaucratic red tape that could make it take a year or longer to be "approved" to enter the state, I went ahead last year, in September/October 2016 and purchased, out of my own pocket, the RPG Trailer Prototype, for a down payment of $2,000, and a total cost around $40k, with monthly payments of $400/mo.
The Wheelchair Accessible RPG Trailer Prototype -Unlocked!
This can accommodate 3 people in wheelchairs inside, with the use of the rear-entry ramp. But it has the following short-comings compared to the Ideal RPG Trailer we wish to build:
- The trailer ride height is pretty high, and as a consequence the ramp is too steep for electric wheelchairs and scooters, need a $3,000 ramp extension to accommodate that. Fortunately a Veteran kindly donated his old ramp in June 2017, and we now can meet that goal!
- The ramp needs a "flap" between the ramp and the trailer, to prevent smaller wheelchair wheels getting stuck in the "dent". We're working on resolving this shortly.
- The back part of the trailer (last 2 feet) has a slope that makes having someone in a wheelchair in that part of the trailer problematic, which limits the number of wheelchairs we can have inside simultaneously, this is not very resolvable, which is part of the limitation to only 3 wheelchairs inside, however we can handle more wheelchairs when the rear ramp is in "patio" mode.
- The Prototype has a kitchenette along the side of the "garage" which further limits the number of wheelchairs. The Ideal RPG Trailer will be built to not having this in the way. This is really not fixable in the prototype.
- The side door is too narrow for wheelchair access. It is totally possible to widen this, but requires red tape hoops and many added expenses with Labor & Industries (L&I) of Washington State for approval. This is a goal we are working toward accomplishing.
- The bathroom is not wheelchair accessible (it is barely accessible in general). This ia more challenging to resolve to make the toilet accessible, but can be done with construction, but with more of the L&I overhead to take into consideration. We would probably want to try to do this at the same time as the side door widening to reduce bureaucratic costs, but we'll do what we can, when we can. This is a goal we are working toward accomplishing, but it is much more challenging to achieve than the side door.
The Wheelchair Accessible RPG Bus - Close to Unlocking! - Patreon $250/mo Goal #4
One of our volunteers inherited a 1984 GMC larger activity bus. It has a wheelchair lift, air conditioning, and the seats were long ago removed. This will make a good mobile RPG facility for 1-2 people in Wheelchairs. It runs, but it needs an unknown amount of work however. Fortunately I was for many years a 4-times certified ASE mechanic and Automotive instructor at the American Automotive Institute. Currently it is sitting at the volunteer's house. We're going to need to clean out the inside (it was used as a storage shed), and buy it from him and bring it to my house to look over and fix up as needed. Once it is cleaned up, fixed up, licensed, and prepared for groups, then it will be added to the "Fleet" of wheelchair accessible mobile facilities. It may be able to pull the RPG Trailer, which will reduce the wear and tear on my much more expensive to maintain Infiniti QX-56 SUV. Over time rebuilding a Chevy 350 engine and transmission is MUCH less expensive than the Infiniti's. Also, when we get the ideal trailer, it will be another vehicle to haul the second trailer around with.
We'll need some additional funds to get this fully up and running and maintain it, so that is why the $250/mo goal works to make this a reality.
The Ideal Wheelchair Friendly RPG Trailer - The Ultimate Goal - Patreon Goal #9
Ultimately, all of this is about building and using the ideally designed wheelchair friendly mobile facility. And this is more challenging due to sweet-heart deals that Washington state has with larger RV manufacturers, which excludes smaller RV companies from being on their "Automatically Accepted List" from WA L&I. While it is burdensome to get the custom built trailer approved for entry into the state (it will be built by a company specializing in wheelchair accessible RVs in Arizona), it is not insurmountable, and is our ultimate goal (in addition to research of course!).
For details on all the benefits of the Ideal Wheelchair Friendly RPG Trailer, see here: http://www.rpgtrailer.com/faqs
With your support, we are getting closer and closer to achieving these goals.
Thank you every so much for your support.
Happy Gaming!
-Hawke Robinson