Today was supposed to be my driving assessment. It’s been on the books since the end of July, so I’d been looking forward to it for a while. I got halfway.
How I Got Here
I haven’t written about driving here before, so some background. I’ve wanted to drive since I was 15. Money always got in the way, first because my family didn’t have enough of it, and later because I wasn’t earning enough. Now I’m making a good wage, so I finally decided to look into it.
I want to be able to go places without relying on public transit, a cab, or a friend. I’m not going to drive everywhere. I just want the option.
I have my driving permit, and my goal is a wheelchair-accessible van I can drive from my power chair. That means a ramp or lift, hand controls, and a tie-down system, so I can stay in my chair instead of transferring to a driver’s seat.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services helped me get my current job, but they told me they can’t help with the cost of vehicle modifications. So the van is something I’m figuring out how to fund myself. My current power chair is also aging out, and my needs have changed, so I’m planning to replace it first. It’s easier to fit a van around the chair than the other way around.
The driving assessment is the step that tells me whether, and how, this can work.
What the Assessment Showed
The good news first: we did the cognitive portion, and I’m competent enough to drive. After waiting that long, I’m holding onto that, and I don’t want the rest of this post to bury it.
The other half, the behind-the-wheel test, is a different story.
Part of the cognitive portion was watching driving scenarios and picking the best choice or choices. What I learned is that I’m a defensive driver. I’m always looking for what could go sideways. In one scenario, a semi was making a left turn, and the driver in the scenario hadn’t given it enough room. The car was going to have to back up so the semi could make the turn. I noticed that right away.
There was also a vision test, and it raised some concern about my depth perception and possible night vision issues. I haven’t had an eye exam in a year, so that sent me looking for a new eye clinic.
The clinic I used to go to is more than likely no longer wheelchair accessible. The optometrists work from other locations and control things remotely, which has made it impossible to move the exam chair. A change that probably looked efficient on paper quietly shut people like me out. Shout out to a fellow wheelchair user for the recommendation of a wheelchair friendly clinic I have an appointment later this week. So, I’m starting over with a new clinic.
The Van
They have a wheelchair-accessible van, which is what I’d eventually want to drive from my chair. Sitting in it was cool. I was excited. I had to raise my chair because I couldn’t see over the dash.
The hand controls weren’t ideal for me. They were set up for gas brake with the left hand and steering with the right. I’d be steering with my left hand and using the gas and brake with my right. I had better control of the steering wheel with my left hand, and I have some slight concern about my response time on the gas and brake with that same hand. The controls in the van are not able to be swapped. Accessible vehicles aren’t one-size-fits-all. Two people can both use wheelchairs and need completely different setups.
The SUV and the Sedan
They also have an SUV that I would have to transfer into, but the seat was higher and farther from my chair than I’m comfortable with, and I was at real risk of falling. I’ve never transferred from my chair into a driver’s seat. The only time I transfer from my power chair to another “seat” is when I’m going to the bathroom, and I wasn’t going to try it for the first time during a test.
They also have a sedan. It’s lower to the ground, so it should be easier to transfer into, and the behind-the-wheel portion is rescheduled for the end of November in the sedan. That means transferring from my power wheelchair into the driver’s seat. I’m thinking about using my manual chair for the transfer, since it can get tighter to the car.
What I’m Thinking
Here’s what I keep going back and forth on. I don’t plan to drive a car. I plan to drive a van from my power chair. So will driving a sedan make me uncomfortable because it isn’t my normal? Will it give the assessor a clear picture of what I can do? Since the hand controls are the same, it should at least show how I handle them. But I won’t know until I try.
I’m excited, and a bigger part of me is nervous. Waiting from July to get here and then walking out with half an answer stings a little. But I’d rather find out properly than rush it in the wrong vehicle.
If you’ve been through a driving assessment, or you drive with adaptive equipment, did you get tested in something that wasn’t your everyday vehicle? How did it go? I’d really like to hear.
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