Driving Rehab

Driving Rehabilitation

Driving rehabilitation is a specialized program designed to help individuals with physical, cognitive, or visual challenges learn or regain the skills necessary for safe, independent driving.

Our driving rehabilitation programs are structured to evaluate and improve a person’s ability to drive safely. They are led by occupational therapists who are certified as driver rehabilitation specialists (CDRS) and include both clinical assessments and on-road evaluations.

We team with you to support independence, mobility, and confidence while ensuring safety for the driver and the community.

Evaluation for Wheelchair-Accessable Van for Veteran Affairs

We perform evaluations for the Automobile Allowance And Adaptive Equipment benefit from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to determine what modifications are needed and connect you with a local equipment dealer/installer.

Driving Safety Evaluation

The Driving Safety Evaluation provides an objective assessment of a person's ability to drive and provides documentation of driving capability for those who wish to resume driving after a medical incident or diagnosis. The Certified Driving Rehab Specialist (CDRS) and client identify driving goals then the therapist evaluates the client's vision, range of motion, coordination, break reaction time, attention, and speed of processing.

If the client is a candidate for driving, the evaluation proceeds to the On-The-Road portion of the assessment. Ther therapist orients the client to the car, and once the client has become comfortable driving in a parking lot, proceeds into traffic. At the completion of the evaluation, recommendations are made regarding a person's ability to drive and what, if any, adaptive equipment or restrictions are needed to ensure safety. A report detailing the evaluation results and recommendations is sent to the client and the client's referring physician.

Driver Readiness Program

Learning to drive is a challenging task. Typically developing people spend their entire life preparing for the task of driving by honing their physical, cognitive, and visual skills to survive the highly demanding environment of the open road. They do this by developing operational skills, decision-making skills, and high-speed processing skills while engaged in sports, riding bikes, or playing freely since they were young. We understand that limiting occupational participation means that some people do not develop these pre-driving skills at the same time as their peers. As clinicians, we are trained to address these skills and bring them to maturity so that learning to drive is possible.

In the Driver Readiness Program, we provide one-on-one therapy sessions with a Certified Driving Rehab Specialist (CDRS) that address pre-driving skills, road knowledge, and on-the-road training. Below are diagnosis’ that our clients of this program commonly have:

· Cerebral Palsy

· Spina Bifida

· Anxiety Disorder

· Autism Spectrum Disorder

· Traumatic Brain Injury

· Learning Difficulty

Adaptive Driving Training

Therapy Achievements provides training in use of adaptive driving equipment for people with paralysis from stroke or spinal cord injury, for people who have lost sensation in their limbs due to neuropathy, or people who have sustained amputation. The Therapy Achievements vehicles are equipped with hand controls, left gas accelerator, steering knobs, and other adaptive equipment. The therapist assists the client in selecting the correct equipment and provides behind-the-wheel training. Once training is complete, a report stating the client is competent in use of the equipment is sent to the clinet, the client's referring physician, and the vendor who will install the equipment.

Bioptic Driving

Bioptic driving requires careful fitting of the system followed by extensive training in both the use of the bioptic and behind-the-wheel driver’s training.

To get licensed for bioptic driving in Alabama:

1. Client obtains the following:

a. Certificate for Vision Examination for Bioptic Driving (completed by optometrist or ophthalmologist)

b. Certificate of Completion of Adequate Training for Use of Bioptic (Completed by qualified professional skilled in use of bioptic lenses)

2. The client then goes to the local Department of Public Safety Driver License Office to hand in the aforementioned documents and take a driver test to receive a permit for driving with bioptics. (the client may be able to receive their permit before step 1 is completed; it will depend on how well the people at the DMV understand their request).

3. At Therapy Achievements, the client is administered the Mini Mental Status Exam by a CDRS and completes adequate training of at least two 2-hour long behind-the-wheel driver training sessions that include bright, changing, and shaded light conditions, and in light, moderate, and heavy traffic.

Local Adaptive Driving Equipment Dealers

Griffin Mobility

Alabama's premiere mobility dealer. For more than 30 years, Griffin Mobility has been restoring freedom and independence to individuals with disabilities and those who care for them. Each member of our staff takes great pride in listening and assessing the needs of each customer to provide products and/or services to make life more accessible and enjoyable by removing barriers that may interfere with everyday activities.

Located in Hartselle, AL

MobilityWorks

Our mission is what drives us to assist our clients in mobility so they can Be There for routine daily activities and special life events. We do this by training our team to listen to our clients’ unique needs to fit them with the best mobility solutions, by maintaining the largest inventory in the nation of wheelchair accessible vehicles, by certifying our service teams and by making the products and services we offer accessible to everyone through our 90+ locations and nationwide Buy Now program.

Located in Huntsville, AL