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First-Ever Specially-Built Van for the Disabled Stops in Santa Clara

For decades now, people who use wheelchairs, and want to get around in a car, had to buy a regular mini-van and get in modified. But now, a new vehicle is the first ever factory-built car for the disabled.

"No one has ever built a vehicle from the factory for us," said Santa Clara Valley Medical Center spinal-cord injury patient Marv Tuttle.

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Tuttle, and other disabled patients were excited to see the new MV1 vehicle, which is made in America, out on display at SCVMC Tuesday.

"When you convert a mini-van you've cut into the structure of the vehicle, and compromised the vehicle," said spokesman Dave Sherman. "You're asking a vehicle to do something it was never intended to do."

The new car's price is even lower than a converted van, at $40,000, but there are some bugs. The MV1 is only built for a wheelchair user who is a passenger; drivers will still need to have a modified van.

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