Hi David,

My condition is similar to yours.  I have a small car with hand controls
bolted underneath the steering column.  The gas and break pedals are still
there, if anyone else needs to drive.

Usually, you get a letter from your physician stating you require
hand controls to drive.  Then I contacted the local Abilities Counsel.
They provided the paperwork and located a local company that installed
the controls.

In most cases, if you purchase a new car and need hand controls, the
car manufacturer will reimburse the cost of hand controls -- up to $500.00.


Regards,
Vince

> -----Original Message-----
> From: St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of David Wolfe
> Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 6:51 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Driving with CP
>
>
> I have a very specific request, and hope some of you may be
> able to help
> me. I am a 17 year old teenager and now have the monetary
> resources to be
> able to drive. But due to the fact that I have CP, I need to
> think about hand
> gears (since I cannot use my feet to drive) My hands are
> okay, and have no
> problems. Obviously I need to solve this problem before I can
> even think
> about getting a car. I have heard there are auxiliary hand
> gears out there
> (by auxiliary, I mean gears that can switch on and off as
> needed, so that my
> parents can drive the car too) which would save time and
> effort. It would
> also save me having to go out and buy a car to have it
> configured only for
> me, which would prevent anybody else from driving it. I was
> just curious as
> to if you readers knew of auxiliary hand gear set, and if so
> where I might
> find one. If locality is an issue, I live in the SF Bay Area.
> I don't even
> know where to begin this process, so thanks for all your help.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> David Wolfe