Driving with hand controls is the sometimes bothersome—yet necessary—result of a disability that affects your legs. If you want to drive safely and get your driver’s license, hand controls are the only option for many people. Fortunately, dozens of different models exist to suit every need and level of ability.
One significant thing regarding people who use hand controls is the surprisingly wide variety of disabilities and conditions they have, ranging from people with SCI to stroke survivors. You just never know who may be operating their vehicles sans feet when you fly by someone (or pass them angrily) on the road. These drivers are more common than you think.
If you’re curious about the important “how-tos” regarding hand controls and are interested in finally trying a pair out for yourself, the following “Hand Controls 101” lesson will hopefully be useful.
Must-Knows
• Research all the different types of hand controls on the market; there are many. Some are very basic, even portable, and can be moved from vehicle to vehicle with ease (you’ll usually see this type of hand control as the typical model available with rental cars, which is the “lever” model and located to the left of the wheel). A good method for researching the best hand control suitable for your disability is to simply Google “hand controls” and “<insert your disability here>.”
• Hand controls can be expensive, especially if you’re a quadriplegic or have some other type of upper-extremity disability. Air-powered and electronic hand controls (especially the latter) are the typical MO for people with upper-body impairments. Electric hand controls are considerably more expensive, but don’t think that getting this kind of control is nothing but a pipe dream because your income isn’t very high. Many states have a Rehabilitation Services office that will sometimes pay for your hand controls (or even your vehicle in some states, although this is rare). Do your research.
• For people with very little arm movement (even those who drive their wheelchairs with their mouths), driving may still be an option. There have been several ingenious inventions over the past decade that allow these people to drive their vehicles using their wheelchair joysticks. The technology is very complicated and very expensive, but the facts that it exists and that it is widely available provide two notable “upsides” to the issue. “Adapted driving experts” who work at major rehab hospitals across the country can help you better understand all of this “high-tech” information.
• Expect to take lessons; they’re usually required. Almost every state requires people with disabilities who want to use special hand controls to first get the “go ahead” from an adapted driving expert at one of your local rehab centers. Don’t fight this inevitable truth. You may have been an excellent driver before your disability, but for the safety of everyone else on the road, these lessons (and tests) will enable the specialist to: a) figure out IF you will be able to drive safely and b) once that safety level is established, determine the exact driving modifications you will need. I even paid for private, one-on-one driving lessons from one of these experts, just so I could finally feel comfortable behind the wheel.
The above info just scratches the surface of the world of hand controls. Remember, Google is your friend, but be sure to back up what you find with advice from an expert.
