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Gino is sat in his wheelchair next to his mum, sister and dad, who are sat on a bench. They are laughing and talking outside. His sister is sat on his mums lap.

“Having a WAV is life changing"

Gino is 10 and lives in Fife with his mum, Charlene, his dad, Innes, and his little sister, Gabby. The family joined the Motability Scheme when Gino was three years old. Charlene says that, as the family has grown, their transport needs have changed too.

A growing family

“This is our third Motability Scheme car, our second Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV). It has more space than the last one. We needed room to fit my daughter’s buggy and car seat as well as all the equipment Gino takes to respite.

“Gino is lovely, hard work but lovely, and life revolves around him. He has a genetic disorder, 1pt36 deletion syndrome, which impacts him physically and mentally. He is non-verbal and has drug resistant epilepsy.

"We have many hospital appointments and Gino travels back and forth in our car, in his wheelchair. He is too big to transfer so enters the WAV, using a ramp at the back. He is a full-time wheelchair user, so having a WAV is life changing."

Gino is sat in his wheelchair in his WAV, next to him is his mum who is plugging his sister into a car seat.
“We have many hospital appointments and Gino travels back and forth in our car, in his wheelchair.”
Gino's mum, Charlene

“We would be lost without the Motability Scheme car and service”

“At the minute, Gino uses assisted transport for getting to school. He has two PAs. We haven’t got to the point where he needs two to one support when we go out, but that will come and it won’t be long.

“Every eight weeks, Gino goes to respite for three nights, which means packing a lot of bulky equipment, like his shower chair, into the WAV.

“When we are making journeys, we need to get places quickly. Knowing we have the car, and can just get up and go, is a comfort.

"We have tried using public transport, but it becomes much more difficult if Gino has a seizure or becomes tired while we are on a train or bus. At one point, Gino was having up to 800 seizures a month. I do think we would be completely lost without the Motability Scheme car and service."

“We can pack a lot of bulky equipment, like his shower chair, into the WAV.”
Gino's mum, Charlene
Gino's dad is wheeling a shower chair into the back of Gino's WAV, the back of the WAV is open and the ramp down. His dad is stood to the side of the ramp.

Accessing all areas

“A lot of people come and visit us because other people’s homes aren’t always accessible. But we have days out, which we couldn’t do if we didn’t have our own transport.

"We keep it local as it’s safer: sometimes meals out, swimming, or little holidays. We can pack up the car and take everything we need because we have the space to do so."

Gino is being wheeled along a cobbled path near the sea by his dad. Walking next to them is his mum and sister. They are talking to one another.
“I am not sure what we would do without the car, or the grant.”
Gino's mum, Charlene

"We wouldn’t have been able to afford the car on our own."

“Having a child with complex needs comes with so much paperwork, phone calls and appointments. Motability Foundation have the most helpful, easiest process we have been through, and we do a lot of processes!

“When you have a child with complex needs, you have to reduce your hours at work, so your income isn’t great. It makes a big difference having the Motability car.

"I am not sure what we would do without the car, or the grant. We wouldn’t have been able to afford the car on our own.”