Cindy, and others,

When I first got my license (November of '76), I had mild spastic diplegic
CP, and was able to "pass" as non-disabled.  In February of '77 I had a
stroke that caused left hemiplegia, and voluntarily stopped driving for
about three years.  My brother taught me how to drive again, and must have
done a good job.  When I needed to renew my license in 1980, the examiners
had no real idea of what to do, so they gave me my license and basically
said "Use your best judgement" on adaptive equipment, etc.  Pretty scary for
a twenty year-old kid, but this was in Wyoming, with our "Cowboy Up!"
mentality.  I drove pretty much without incident until 2003, when I had to
go to a power chair and had to get a lift equipped van.  That first van was
a full-sized Ford E-150 that was too big for me too handle, especially in
the Wyoming wind.  After my second (relatively) minor accident, I got an
adaptive driving eval, which recommended a spinner knob for the steering
wheel, a turn signal extension (to bring it to the right side of the
steering wheel, and a chest strap to help me stay more upright in the
driver's seat.  But the biggest recommendation was to get a smaller van, so
I sold "The Beast" and got a ramped Dodge Caravan.  I also had a lift and a
transfer seat in The Beast, so I got one for the minivan, too.  It makes
transferring to drive much easier, and safer

There is a national association od Adaptive Driving Specialists.  This is
their main website.

http://www.driver-ed.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

and this is the directory link:

http://www.driver-ed.org/custom/directory/?pageid=209&showTitle=1

For me, I searched by state, but YMMV.

I found the person who did my eval on the website, and as part of Wyoming
being "A Small Town With VERY Long Streets," she worked for a PT/OT clinic
that was owned by a guy I graduated from high school with.

On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 9:27 AM, Michael H. Collis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Kyle, could it mean no hand controls?  Hand controls are special
> attachments.
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 09:11:49 -0400
> >From: "Cleveland, Kyle E." <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Re: Mild to moderate CP and children?
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> >Cindy,
> >
> >Interesting story about driving...
> >
> >I got my license at 16 like the rest of the kids in my class.  My CP is
> >so mild that there weren't any issues (though not having any depth
> >perception makes parking fun.  As my wife says, I tend to 'round off'
> >the corners on our cars a bit.  ;-)  ).  I started college at Ohio
> >State, and when it became obvious I was going to become a resident of
> >Ohio I had to get a new license in the state.  At the time, Ohio law
> >mandated that folks under 21 had to take both the written and practical
> >tests in order to transfer licensing from another state.  I passed both
> >tests without a hitch, but when I looked at my license there was a
> >restriction code on it.  I looked up the code and it said, "no special
> >attachments".  I was pretty self-conscious about my limp at the time so
> >I got really upset with the examiner and pointed out my original had no
> >such coding.  He was intransigent and said that he put the code on so
> >that if I was stopped by the police they would not automatically assume
> >I had been drinking.  I don't have speech issues at all, so I think his
> >argument was pretty hollow.
> >
> >That code has been on my license for thirty years and no cop has ever
> >understood the "no special attachments" code.  In the half-dozen or so
> >times that I've actually been pulled over I can't think of a single
> >incident when I didn't have to get out of the car and walk so the
> >officer could see what I was talking about.  Switching car insurance
> >companies or renting a car is always fun (not) because I have to go
> >through this windy explanation what the heck "no special attachments"
> >means.
> >
> >Kyle
> >
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Cerebral Palsy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> >Of Cindy Mallory
> >Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 8:38 AM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: Mild to moderate CP and children?
> >
> >This is all great information to have. This group is a blessing! Thanks
> >for
> > all your encouragement!
> >Cindy
> >
> >
> >In a message dated 5/18/2009 3:14:28 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> >[log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> >Cindy,
> >
> >I was evaluated by my PT to be able to drive and I never  had any
> >modifications.  I remember when I was first learning,  we figured out
> >that I could not hit the brake with my toes or I  would spasm, but if
> >I hit it with the middle of my foot I was less  likely to spasm.  But
> >I did spasm quite a bit before I relaxed  in my abilities and frankly,
> >developed the muscle strength and  stamina to push on the gas/brake
> >for an extended trip.  I  remember when I took the driving test I told
> >the guy that my leg  would shake but that I still had control of
> >braking.  To this  day I still wear out brake pads faster than you
> >should, not so much  from driving fast and braking too much, but more
> >from pushing so  hard on the brake to keep from spasming!  I also
> >remember that  when I was still learning to drive, I could go for
> >about a half hour  before less muscle fatigue set in while highway
> >driving, so we got  cruise control on the car and that was no longer
> >an  issue.
> >
> >
> >Linda Macaulay
> >
> >MAX Audio-Video
> >717-898-2920  (office)
> >717-898-2215 (fax)
> >717-575-2518  (cell)
> --
>
>
> Kendall
>
> An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)
>
> The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
> persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
> depends on the unreasonable man.
>
> -George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
>

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