OT 633: Driving & Community Mobility Guest Lecturer

I found the guest lecture on driving and adaptive vehicles to be very informative. The biggest takeaway for me was the freedom driving can bring to someone who has had limited community mobility. While on the other hand, some individuals are driving when they should not be, which endangers other community members. The guest lecturer emphasized the importance of keeping the roads safe by recommending individuals who do not have the proper skill set (vision, attention, cognition, etc) get a medical hold on their license.

I have had the pleasure of driving an adapted van before which allowed a pre-teen girl to participate in social gatherings which she had previously been limited by. The van allowed for her to go up a ramp on the side door and lock her wheelchair into the middle seat area with a row of seats behind her free for friends! For example, I drove her to go bowling with 3 of her best friends, and it was evident that this social participation meant a lot to her.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that these adaptations to vehicles can be very pricey so it is good to know of a few inexpensive/ quick fixes. One example the guest lecturer gave us is an extended rear view mirror. These go for about $20 on Amazon and can simply be clipped on to the rear view mirror. This can make a huge difference for someone with limited range of motion in their neck by allowing them to check their blind spots safely.