My doctor made me start driving after I was able to
>negotiate on my own.(with a cane) I can not tell you how fearful I was of
>the normal procedure known as driving. I am unable to feel my feet also, yet
>my right foot has deep presure sensation so... I decided to devise a way to
>make the foot peddles more driver friendly (and pedestrian friendly).
> Necessity is the mother of all inventions, in a brain storm I commandeered
>the front door welcome matt. I took the black, nobbie rubber thing to a
>freind with this exclusive request. " Can you cut two peices the size and
>shape of both my brake and gas peddle from this door matt?" He looked at me
>as if I had lost my mind but in an effort to comfort the afflicted he did so.
>As he did I explained the theory behind this project. Then we bonded them to
>the peddles I removed my right shoe and off I went. I was able sense the
>deep sensation of the hard uneven nobbie prongs, even though I could not feel
>the complete peddle. This gave me great confidence in the "art of TM
>driving". Where there's a will there's a way.
Just out of curisoity, what state do you live in? Here in Ontario it
is mandator for physicians to report people who have "impediemtns" to
driving -- can be anything from someone who needs glasses to "us".
Thereafter follows a COMPLETE assessment by the OT deparment on
movement and control. It sonds a bit scary to me what you are describing? (
or do you have good motor -- as in foot -- function?) One fellow I
overheard in our physiotherapy department spoke of how he was not totally
able to control spasms in his foot hence he was "reluctant" to drive lest he
jam down on the accelerator --YIKES. Although it's mandatory to report
these things as I have said -- as usual the bureaucracy moves slowly and it
often takes them six months to catch up to us crips -- so we get to keep our
unresricted licenses for sometimes too long -- of course you're also
supposed to report these thngs to your insurance company --
Anyway,,,,,,, hand controls are so much fun (right) -- but they do give
you freedom. I'm just trying to figure out if the powers that be would
"buy" the fact that I could drive a motorcycle with a side car - could throw
the chair in it and head off to Daytona in Februrary! And it is one the
only beaches (tacky as it is) that you could probably whistle down in a
wheel chair -- anybody ever tried that?
Bryan