Driving for the physically impaired

Many people have the mistaken idea that because you have a physical impairment you will never be able to drive. NOT true! While there are some restrictions (found on the DDSGeorgia Department of Driver Services website), most individuals with a physical handicap such as paralysis or missing limbs may still be able to obtain a driver’s license.

If an individual has paralysis of the legs or missing a leg, hand controls can be installed into almost any vehicle. The hand control is placed next to the steering wheel and has an extension rod that is attached to the brake and/ or gas pedal (depending on whether one or both legs are paralyzed or missing).

In my son’s case, where both legs are paralyzed, the hand control is used for both gas and brake function. If you push down on the hand control it puts the brake on. If you push forward then it accelerates by pushing down on the gas pedal. There is an additional feature you can have put on and that’s a control knob. It can be held for steering just as a steering wheel would be used. My son likes this feature. He says it gives him better control.

One concern we had was that we would not be able to drive our van after putting these controls on. We were afraid we would only be able to drive with the hand controls. After talking with the folks at North Georgia Mobility in Ringgold we found that was not true. The hand controls can be locked and anyone else can drive the vehicle as usual. That was a real relief.

We had the controls installed on our vehicle at North Georgia Mobility. It took 2-3 hours and we went back for one adjustment. This is an expensive undertaking. The cost ran around $1050. If you don’t want the steering knob then the cost would be around $850.

The good news is that if you have a med flex plan with your employer then it will most likely reimburse you the cost. Ours did. We just had to send in a receipt and letter of medical necessity from our doctor. You can also look to civic organizations to help with the cost (Lions Club, Kiwanis, Women’s Club, etc).

Another thing you have to consider is how you or your child with a disability (especially if using a wheelchair) will enter and exit the vehicle. If using a wheelchair, will you be able to fold the chair and place it in the vehicle yourself or will you use a ramp? We have a ramp on our van. Our son can roll right in for transport.

For driving, there are a couple of options. First you can have your front driver seat removed and the wheelchair individual can roll right into the driver position. You should have a lock down system installed to keep the chair from tilting.

The other option is to have a new driver seat installed that swivels and turns to a backward/ sideways position so the person in the wheelchair can roll in the van, transfer to the seat, then swivel the driver seat back around into a driving position. Cost is about the same whether you have the seat replaced or whether you install a lock down system so you can stay in your wheelchair in order to drive. The ability of the individual to transfer easily will help determine which option you would want to choose.

If you are considering having your child with a physical handicap drive, start with your local vocational rehab office. They have information on driving schools and other resources. We used Haman’s Driving School for our son. We didn’t feel confident that we could teach him how to use the hand controls properly since we’d never used them ourselves.

We were extremely pleased with Haman’s. They have a driving instructor who specializes in teaching individuals with physical handicaps to drive. I would definitely recommend them. It was worth the extra money for lessons in order to have the peace of mind that someone was teaching him the correct way to use these controls to drive.

If anyone would like to take a look at our van to get idea of what these hand controls look like or how they function, please feel free to contact me at my email address. I’d be happy to meet you somewhere. Whether or not to drive if you have a physical impairment is a big decision. Do your research first before making that decision.

RESOURCES: dds. ga.gov/rules.

Pam Rasmussen lives in LaFayette. She is the mother of a son with Spina Bifida and is an advocate for adults and children with special needs. She can be reached at jraz1230@windstream.net.