Wheelchair Living in Hawaii (Honolulu: rent, safest neighborhood, subsidized)
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I am a person in a wheelchair considering a move to Hawaii. Where is the best place to live (closest to public transportation, hospitals, grocery stores, etc.)? Where are the safest neighborhoods? What places have the best sidewalks? Thanks to you all for your help!
Hi~
Which Island are you planning to move to? I can tell you that Oahu has the best accommodations for those of us in wheelchairs. Also, depending upon your medical needs Oahu has the best care available in Hawaii.
Transportation on Oahu is accessible from all neighborhoods; if The Bus stop is too far away (or sidewalks are in poor condition) then we have the Handivan available which is a van that provides door to door service for a set price (the last time I used it the cost was $2 each way). It is a shared ride and you must have paperwork filled out by your Doctor before you can use the service.
There are some truly wonderful neighborhoods and is limited only by your finances. Please feel free to PM me if you wish to share with me your rent ceiling - that will help me to help the best way possible.
If you will be moving to another Island then I am sure that there are others who can help with pertinent information.
I am a person in a wheelchair considering a move to Hawaii. Where is the best place to live (closest to public transportation, hospitals, grocery stores, etc.)? Where are the safest neighborhoods? What places have the best sidewalks? Thanks to you all for your help!
Although there are people in wheelchairs all over the state, the only place I consider to be wheelchair friendly is Honolulu. There's no other town that has the level of public transportation and population density that supports wheelchair users to the level Honolulu does.
Suggest contacting Alu Like , the State Dept of Rehabilitation or whatever comes up when you Google "services for people with disabilities". State services are good but you might run into problems with waiting period if you're looking for subsidized/accessible housing. Good luck.
Probably Honolulu. They have nice sidewalks for the tourists and a decent bus system.
The best chance of appropriate medical care is on Oahu. It would be difficult to live on one of the neigboring islands and have to travel to Oahu for a specialist, and to do it in a wheelchair.
Alu Like is a program for Native Hawaiians so unless the OP has Native Hawaiian blood this program would not be of any help.
However, the Independent Living Center might be able to help if the questions are specific.
A great many places on Oahu IS wheelchair friendly (first hand knowledge), it is important to look at prospective neighborhoods and actually try routes in your chair to determine if the sidewalks and curb buts are good for the individual.
I am in a powerchair and must have good curb cuts since I cannot access sidewalks without them; but I have many friends in manual chairs who jump curbs regularly (some even use escalators!).
Some places with curb cuts (like Waikiki) are just plain dangerous since they place you in the way of traffic, so it is best to personally travel each neighborhood.
Taking theBus often in town, I have witness several people getting on and off with a wheelchair and have never saw any annoyance or uncourteousness by drivers or fellow riders. Drivers always are helpful and help load the passenger asking people sitting in the side seats to move down. Pax obligingly move. Never any negativity. If you take a regular route and time, you'll probably get to know the driver, as many drivers stay on their route for years.
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