Driving on the road to autonomy

As you might imagine, independence and autonomy are incredibly important aspects of my life that I need to regain.  I don’t want to rely on someone to drive me, nor do I want to rely on public transportation. 

So, I needed to learn how to drive again as paraplegic.  This involves lots of steps, including getting into the car (car transfers), disassembing my wheelchair and getting it into my car on my own. And of course, actually driving. 

With my physical therapist we’ve been practicing my transfers without a board which is getting easier. My time for getting the chair in is decreasing from 35 minutes down to 7-10 as I practice.

Here is a photo after getting the chair into the car- wheels in the back seat and frame in the passenger seat.

I also took drivers ed while here at rehab. I had to pass some cognitive testing because of my  head injury. Then I learned to drive with hand controls. Push to brake, pull for gas. And use a knob on the steering wheel to handle the wheel. 

Over the course of 4 days, I practiced driving (in the snow!) and passed my DMV drivers test. Now I have a new drivers license! One step closer to independence! Now we’ll get my car outfitted with hand controls. Honestly, though, I just hope we get these self-driving vehicles to the point where they’re as viable and price-appropriate as soon as possible. That's really what I need!