A Guide to NABD Adaptation Grants

Purview

NABD Adaptation Grants are restricted to disabled people who are resident in:

• The United Kingdom
• The Republic of Ireland
• The Isle of Man
• The Channel Isles

Eligibility

• Applicants must reside in one of the eligible regions.
• Grants are for adaptations to motorcycles, motor scooters, trikes, motorcycle/sidecar combinations, or quadbikes to suit the needs of disabled riders or disabled passengers.
• In special cases, grants may cover essential specialized equipment, subject to strict criteria.
• Grants cannot be awarded to cover the cost of insurance, vehicle repairs, cosmetic/custom work, or adaptations to any other types of vehicle.

Application Process & Governance:

• Each application is reviewed and assessed on its own merits.
• The level of grant awarded relates directly to the nature and severity of the applicant’s disabilities.
• Applications are considered without bias regarding club affiliation, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political beliefs.
• There is no regional bias within the eligible areas.
• Adaptation grants are not limited to NABD members, but grants awarded to non-members are typically considerably lower than they are to those who have seen fit to join the NABD and support its aims.
• Where an engineer or company are being paid to carry out adaptation work, a quotation for adaptation (estimates are not accepted) work must be submitted on official company stationery with VAT at 0%.
• Applicants must supply a copy of a current MOT certificate. No MOT, no grant. (except for new trike builds or motorcycles under 3-years old).
• The guidelines and administration of NABD Adaptation Grants are directly overseen by the National Committee of the NABD.
• Grant applications are presented to the NABD National Committee for consideration at its monthly meetings.
• No application is presented to National Committee until all of the required information has been supplied by the applicant.
• The National Committee may request supporting medical evidence if necessary.
• Retrospective grant applications are never accepted; adaptation work must not begin before a grant award has been confirmed.

Duration of an Adaptation Grant Award:

• Adaptation Grant awards remain valid for 6-months from the date of the award. If the work has not been completed with that 6-month period, and we have heard nothing in mitigation from the grant recipient, that grant application will be considered void and the reserved grant amount will be re-allocated to the Adaptation Grants fund to help somebody else.
• If an unanticipated problem occurs that is likely to delay completion beyond the 6-month limit, the grant recipient should contact the NABD office immediately to request a 3-month extension.
• Where an engineer is unable to start the work immediately, they should provide a projected start date in the quotation that accompanies the grant application, so an extension up to 9-months can be considered when the grant is awarded.

Appeals:

• Appeals for the reconsideration of a grant award/decision must be made in writing, with any supporting evidence, directly to the NABD Chairman by email, chairman@thenabd.org.uk or by post to the NABD office.
• The Chairman will then contact the appellant directly to discuss the details before presenting the appeal, on behalf of the member, to the National Committee at its next full meeting.

Applications for 2^nd Grants:

• If you have previously received an adaptation grant from the NABD, you may only apply for a 2^nd grant if there has been a significant change or deterioration in your physical condition.
• If you have received a grant to adaptation grant and you go on to sell that adapted motorcycle to a person with similar disabilities, who needs those adaptations, and you can supply proof of this and details of the buyer, an application for a 2^nd grant can be considered.
• A 2^nd grant application cannot be considered within 3-years of the 1^st grant being awarded, unless exceptional circumstances are disclosed.
• There have been a number of cases in the past where applicants have joined the NABD for 12-months, secured an Adaptation Grant then not renewed their membership until some years later when they want to apply for a second grant.
• 2^nd grant applications from people who so obviously feel no compunction to support the NABD in helping other disabled riders, are unlikely to be considered favourably.

Post-Award Process:

• The applicant will receive a grant confirmation letter detailing the grant awarded.
• The applicant will receive a ‘Satisfaction’ form to sign upon completion of the adaptation work, confirming their satisfaction with the adaptation work.
• The applicant will receive a VAT Exemption Declaration to complete and pass on to any engineer/company that has been commissioned to carry out the adaptation work.
• If an engineer is to carry out the work, they will receive an engineer’s grant confirmation letter (explaining what the NABD grant will cover and what we require from them).
• An Engineer’s Completion form must be signed and returned with the invoice upon completion.
• Any adaptation kits forming part of the award, are sent by post to the engineer or applicant, depending on who is fitting it.

Payment on Completion:

No Adaptation Grant invoice will be paid until we have received the following,

• The engineers invoice including the company letterhead and registration number.
• A signed satisfaction form from the grant recipient (signifying acceptance of the functionality and quality of the adaptation work).
• The engineer’s completion form (signifying all adaptation work is complete and working correctly).
• Clear close-up photographs of the completed adaptations*.
• Two clear photographs of the adapted machine*.
• Two clear photograph of the grant recipient with (preferably on) the adapted machine*.

*  Engineers can avoid undue delays in the payment of invoices by providing the necessary photographs themselves.  This would also provide them with the opportunity to take a few extra photos of the work as it progresses and perhaps a photo of their workshop.  We are always happy to publicise the work of good adaptation engineers!

All invoices must be free of VAT, as this adaptation work is 0% rated for VAT (a VAT exemption declaration will be supplied to the grant recipient for them to sign and pass on to the adaptation engineer for their accounts).

Invoices will not be paid if the total is higher than the original quote.

The NABD will accept no liability for the cost of any additional work that was not detailed in the original quote and agreed to in the grant confirmation.

Additional Information:

Though not mandatory, a brief account of the grant recipient’s story, and/or at least a thank you note to NABD supporters, is always very much appreciated.  Don’t worry that it won’t be good enough to publish, the editor will make it presentable.  Photographs and articles submitted may be published in NABD ‘Open House’ magazine, online publicity, social media outlets, NABD information stalls, and/or general press articles.

Adaptation Photos:

Please ensure that photo images are submitted at their original size/resolution, either as attachments to an email or via a file sharing platform like Dropbox or WeTransfer.  Please do not embed images into emails and never send them via Messenger or WhatsApp because they will get automatically compressed and resized.

Privacy:

Only first names will be published with adaptation articles. Full names, addresses and contact details of grant recipients will never be disclosed to any third party.

Support:

• For help with completing the application form or clarification of procedures, applicants can contact the NABD office on 0161 749 7050 or via office@thenabd.org.uk.

NABD funds are always stretched and the Adaptation Grants scheme is there to help those who simply cannot afford the full cost of necessary adaptations.

There is absolutely no shame in asking for support from this biking family when it is needed, but there should be no limit to the shame of callously exploiting this hard-won support and denying it to those who really need it!

Please bear this in mind if you are considering making an application.

Rick Hulse
NABD Chairman