We were privileged recently to be able to work with ABLE Youth of Nashville, TN and wrap the bus they use for activities and outings. ABLE Youth is a mentorship program run by Rick Slaughter that helps children in wheelchairs in the K–12 age group learn life and sports skills. Their mission is to lead the participants to be independent, have better self-esteem, and desire to excel.

Mike and Harry working together to get the graphics on the bus.

According to the ABLE Youth website, ABLE stands for, “Adapt, Believe, Love, and Enjoy,” and these principles guide the program and the way the children are taught. The letters also stand for "Athletes Building Life Experiences," which is the slogan we put on the bus. The “tiny tots," or early elementary school aged kids, are taught basic wheelchair skills—for instance how to dress, bathe, and transfer themselves from their wheelchairs—as well as how to play sports like basketball, rugby, tennis, and cheerleading. In addition to sports skills, older children and teens are taught how to live independently and how to drive a car using hand controls.

The graphic going over the window is made with perforated vinyl. This allows the driver to see out of the back window while making the graphic look seamless from the outside.

Rick provided all of the photographs used in the design of the bus wrap and we donated the design time it took to create the proofs. My favorite part of the design is how a photo of a boy pushing a wheelchair is situated over the wheel of the bus so it looks like the bus's wheel is the wheelchair's wheel. That's going to look even cooler when the bus is in motion!

 "Before" picture of the bus

After graphics were applied! Vehicle graphics can really make a big difference, can't they?

Adhering the graphics only took about five and a half hours in total so we were able to get it finished for them pretty quickly! We're glad that we were able to help them advertise their cause with this wrap, and we hope it brings them a lot of good attention as they drive around the greater Nashville area. If you're interested in getting graphics put on your company's fleet vehicles, contact us at 12-Point SignWorks and we'll be happy to get you a free quote on your project.