De Zonnebloem
- the Netherlands
De Zonnebloem is a national program in the Netherlands that offers people with physical disabilities adapted mobility options including special wheelchair rentals, wheelchair-adapted electric bike rentals, and vehicle rentals that accommodate wheelchairs and electric scooters.
Service Provided
The non-profit offers multiple mobility services: rental wheelchairs that are suitable for beaches and different terrains for recreational excursions; rental bikes that can be used by wheelchair users and companions; and rental vehicles that accommodate motorized wheelchairs or scooters with the option of hiring a volunteer driver for the trip.
Intended Users
De Zonnebloem is intended for people with physical disabilities above the age of 18, primarily those who rely on the use of a wheelchair for mobility.
Benefits
The service is explicitly designed to promote social inclusion of groups that are at risk of exclusion due to inaccessible designs of the built environment and transport options.
Service Details
Vehicles, some electric, that can accommodate wheelchairs are available at more than 50 locations across the Netherlands. Users must register with De Zonnebloem for a small fee before using their services and then can use the website to book and manage the car rental. If the user does not have a companion who can drive the car, they can request a local volunteer driver to facilitate their trip 10 working days in advance of their trip.
Similarly, more than 15 local chapters also offer daily rentals of a variety of wheelchair adaptable bikes. The available bikes include tandem bikes, bikes with a wheelchair ramp, or bikes with a built-in chair. Each bike has electric assistance and can accommodate two riders. To rent a bike, users can check which type of bike is available at each local chapter using the De Zonnebloem website and then contact the local chapter directly by phone to book the rental.
Financial Details
To rent a Zonnebloem wheelchair adapted vehicle, one first needs to register with the service for €10. The car rental costs €45 a day for the first 100km; longer trips cost an additional €0.20 per km beyond 100km.
The wheelchair adapted bikes cost €5 for a half day rental and €10 for a whole day.
De Zonnebloem relies primarily on private individual donations to fund their services through structural donor contributions, legacy donations, proceeds from lottery tickets, and general fundraising. The organization hosts a lottery every year with prizes for participants to supplement their other funding streams.
The costs for the car rental, wheelchair rental, and adapted scooters are a small-fraction of the costs of the organization; the largest costs are activities and group outings organized by local chapters as well as the holiday excursions.
De Zonnebloem's 2022 Annual Report
"The great strength of the organization lies in the personal and often long-term contract of participants with local volunteers -- and with each other -- in the district, the neighbourhood, the village, the region, for home visits and small activities close to home. The wishes of the (potential) guests are at the forefront."
Breda, The Netherlands
About the Service Providers
De Zonnebloem is a national non-profit organization in the Netherlands that has been focused on increasing accessibility of people with physical disabilities for more than 70 years. The organization has more than 300 local chapters that are run by volunteers in addition to a central office with paid employees. Roughly 27,000 volunteers were active in 2022 to support De Zonnebloem activities and services.
In addition to the car rental, wheelchair, and scooter rentals, De Zonnebloem also organizes group outings including day excursions, boat rides, and special holidays for wheelchair users. De Zonnebloem is a national advocate for accessible design with a focus on leisure locations; they regularly collaborate with major recreational attractions such as football stadiums, museums, and parks to advise how to make their space more accessible and to train employees how to help visitors with mobility restrictions. They audited and advised more than 85 locations in the Netherlands at the end of 2022.
De Zonnebloem supports over 300 local chapters across the Netherlands. Dutch culture values volunteer work and charity donations: at least 40% of Dutch adults serve as volunteers regularly and 80% of adults donate to charity.
Find More Information
De Zonnebloem Vehicle Rental
De Zonnebloem Bike Rental
De Zonnebloem Annual Report
https://www.zonnebloem.nl/over-de-zonnebloem/jaarverslag
Do Zonnebloem Accessibility Tips