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Suggestions for Persons with Brachial Plexus Injuries I have a brachial plexus injury that restricts my ability to reach hand controls on the left side of my car. The following information is based on my experience with modifying my car so that I can drive safely. I've included steps in the process, a list of automobile manufacturers that offer rebates on adaptive equipment, and an anecdotal account of my personal experience. Nancy Birk Steps in the Process
Car manufacturers that will give rebates for mobility adaptive equipment. (Up to $1000 on newly purchased vehicles) My Experience I began looking for a new vehicle in March 1999, and found that basic car design had changed since I last purchased an automobile. And that these design changes affected my ability to reach controls on the left side of the car (my bpi affected arm). I have been driving for 29 years, am completely accident free, and have driven autos cross-country and internationally without problem. But suddenly I had a problem. The main culprit was the addition of the airbag in the steering wheel. Formerly I had no problem reaching through the wheel to turn on lights, and turn signals. Now I could no longer do that. I also found that in some vehicles I could not reach back to grab the seat belt with my right arm and swing it over to the left side. It was set too far back. This was not true on all vehicles and it was a matter of finding one that I could reach without causing a muscle strain in the unaffected arm, back or shoulder. After finding a vehicle that I was fairly comfortable with, and that now included automatic transmission and automatic windows. I checked into the rebate program available. I purchased a Ford Explorer. Ford sent me the application form and a video to explain the process. They recommended a driver assessment at a local hospital. For insurance purposes I needed a referral from my primary care physician, so I had to begin there. The cost for this test was around $350. My insurance covered it with my physician referral. Then with referral in hand I scheduled the appointment for a driver assessment. The assessment took 4 hours, and was more thorough than any driving test I've ever had. It included a 45 minute driving test in my new vehicle, a vision test, and a series of reaction time tests. The vision test revealed that I had no depth perception, something I'd not known before. This is due to the Horner's Syndrome. At age 45, I'm still learning about this injury! Apparently it is still safe for me to drive although I have always been wary of night driving. There must be a connection there. After about 3 weeks, I received a call from the driver assessment facility with recommendations for adaptive equipment and for adaptive dealers who could do the work. I called around to several of these adaptive dealers, asking for estimates, and selected one. The driver assessment facility then sent to them the results of my test, and a "prescription" for the work. The estimated cost was $1875. Ford would cover the first $1000 as part of their mobility rebate program. I called my insurance company to see if maybe they would cover the rest. No they wouldn't. However, it was eligible for reimbursement if I had an IRS health care reimbursement account (a tax-exempt account to which I contribute and then can withdraw from). So that will cover the rest of the expense for the adaptive work. The part (relay pack) was ordered and my car was in the shop for 3 days. It would have been quicker except that this was a new vehicle with electronic changes since the last year's model and the shop had to "research" how to attach the switches. What I have now is a small (3 x 1.5 inches) box with two buttons that is attached via velcro to the right side of my dash. The cords go directly into the dash and no drilling was necessary. A voice box is attached near the right foot pedal. Regular controls still work on the vehicle in case someone else in the family is driving the car. It is a voice scan device, with 4 functions (left turn, right turn, left window, right window) on one button and 5 functions (washer, wiper, parking lights, full lights, dome light) on the other. When I push one of the two buttons, a voice begins to quickly speak these functions and when I reach the one I want I press the button again. It took me only a short time to adjust to using it. It did take a longer time to go through this process, as it is now the end of July 1999 and I began the process in March! The cost was exactly as estimated, and there was no tax as the state of Ohio does not tax mobility equipment. | ||
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