For many people with motor disabilities the choice of stick or manual transmission would seem to be a no brainer.  Often they lack the dexterity, or strength, to operate anything but the most basic of car controls.  But for some, fun is the name of the game.  They want to do some amateur racing or go into the mountains and have control of their gears while cruising through hair-pin turns. 

If that's the case for you, I have good news.  You can get hand controls that work the clutch and allow you to shift gears.  The bad news is that they aren't easy to find.

One company that designs and sells hand controls for manual transmission vehicles is Redi Auto Sport, of Santa Monica, CA.  The company, founded in 2001 by racing enthusiast Daniel Reyes, Their "sport hand control" system has three major parts. 

In place of the push-pull or right-angle control arm that are SOP in most hand control systems (a real pain to learn to use properly, if you ask me), a ring mounted inside the circumference of the steering wheel controls the accelerator, while a lever mounted next to the gear shift/clutch stick controls the brake.  Presto, no more need for a foot to operate the clutch while you shift gears. 

Another variation on the theme has been developed by a European company called Kempf.  The Kmatic, like the Redi-Sport system, has a ring inside the steering wheel that allows fingertip control of acceleration.  The company's answer to the clutch control problem is the installation of a  digital signal processor.  Whenever the driver touches the gearshift, a motor pulls the clutch pedal.  After a new gear is selected, the system decides how fast to release the pedal, based on a wide range of set parameters.

Either one of these two systems will allow a driver with motor difficulties to select from a wider range of vehicles than ever before possible.  So, get on the road, tear up those turns.  I'll race you!  

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If you would like more information about driving with a disability and hand controls, see Hand Controls 101.

Check out Driving with a Disability with Cindi Burt, an article written by an occupational therapist specializing in driver rehabilitation.