#TIL: How the first accessible vehicle was born and how it led to a global corporation

By Apoorv Kulkarni

Image description: A man rolling out of a motor vehicle on his wheelchair with the help of a wheelchair lift

In 1966, Ralph Braun was working as a Quality Control Manager at a local manufacturer in Indiana, USA. Trouble started when the factory moved to another location far from his house. As a wheelchair user living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, he couldn’t jump into a car and commute to work. Without an ability to get to the factory, Ralph would have to lose his job. There were no accessible automotive options available to wheelchair users back then. So, Ralph decided to make one for himself.

Ralph bought a secondhand postal jeep. He then engineered a wheelchair lift to enter the van and installed hand controls which allowed him to drive to work. Thus, the first accessible vehicle was born.

Image description: An old postal jeep with a rear entry for a wheelchair. A young Ralph Braun is entering the jeep using the wheelchair lift he invented.

Later, in 1970, he came across a full-size van from Dodge which was perfect for his needs. Ralph installed a wheelchair lift on it to make it accessible. Soon, word about his invention spread and people from all across the United States started placing orders for accessible vehicles.

Image description: Dodge full-size van fitted with a wheelchair lift and a side entry. A young Ralph is wheeling out of the van.

Ralph Braun was a serial innovator and a quintessential entrepreneur. In 1963, he invented a motorised scooter and named it the tri-wheeler. He started building and selling tri-wheelers out of his parent’s garage under the name of Save-A-Step Manufacturing Company. In addition to his day job as a quality control manager, he continued to moonlight in the garage building accessible equipment. As orders rolled in for the scooters and accessible vans, Ralph moved the company out of the garage into a dedicated facility. In 1972 Ralph incorporated the company as the Braun corporation with five employees. He grew the company to annual revenue of $200 million with over 700 employees and a global presence.

The birth of the accessible vehicle is just one example of the impact of transport on one’s life. Let’s celebrate this Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 20, 2021) by calling upon the transport industry to further improve the accessibility of vehicles and transport systems for Persons with Disabilities.

Today I Learnt (TIL) is a weekly series by OMI that brings you interesting nuggets of information that you didn’t know you needed.

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