Handicapped Hand Controls:
Driving is a liberation that most people take for granted; you want to go somewhere, so you get in your car and drive there. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of disabled people, it's just another thing to add to their lengthy list of things they can't do. However, times have changed recently because of handicapped hand controls, which have reintroduced disabled individuals behind the wheel - and therefore back into their life. Self-sufficiency is a huge thing to lose, and for more wheelchair-bound people, their disability isn't just about needing help going on vacations, but also about needing help with the little things. Simple things that were formerly taken for granted, such as going out to the local store for groceries, have become a strain and an activity that almost always necessitates assistance.
Handicapped hand controls can help disabled persons regain day-to-day independence by demonstrating that they can perform the small but life-changing actions that they've been accustomed to being supported with. These driving aids are frequently sold as modification kits, which allow for the use of hand levers to operate floor pedals such as the brakes. These levers operate on a very simple mechanism that is nearly identical to that of the pedals, with the lever pushing down on the pedals when pressed. For quick access and safer driving, these levers are usually situated near the steering wheel.
The Benefits of Handicap Hand Controls:
As you might expect, being disabled isn't simple, and disabled individuals confront numerous obstacles that prevent them from leading a regular life. Some basic these, such as walking, are rarely overcome, but if given the chance and opportunity, individuals can accomplish a great deal more. One of these things is driving; many people believe that if you're incapacitated, you'll never be able to drive again, but this couldn't be further from the truth with the correct modifications to the car.
What are the advantages of using hand controls for people with disabilities?
Simple. It reintroduces the disabled person to the driver's seat... of their own lives. One of the most aggravating aspects of being disabled is that you don't require assistance with huge or infrequent jobs. It requires support with simple daily actions that used to be completed without thought but now necessitate assistance and a great deal of effort.
Food is necessary for survival, but can you imagine how difficult it is for a disabled person to even purchase food? A ten-minute drive to the nearest store might quickly become an interminable and stressful adventure - but not anymore!
The advantages of handicap hand controls are self-evident: they allow a disabled person to drive. Although driving requires the use of one's feet, hand controls require the use of hand levers located near the gear stick and steering wheel to activate the foot pedals. It is feasible to drive a car just as well as someone who is not crippled using only one's hands!
How to Use Handicap Hand Controls:
Learning to drive with handicap hand controls is a lengthy process, and if you thought learning to drive normally was tough or frightening, you can expect this to be even more so.
To begin with, as you may probably guess from the name, these controls are limited to your hands. Because it is obvious that disabled persons will be unable to use their feet, the foot pedals are connected to hand controls such as levers located near the steering wheel. When these are pressed or pulled, the floor pedals receive the proper and typically relative force. In this way, a crippled person can drive without using their feet at all.
Clearly, this is a huge step forward for disabled persons who have been unable to drive for a long time. One of the most painful aspects of being incapacitated is the complete absence of both freedom and privacy; being able to drive returns some of that independence.
Because, as you would guess, there aren't many people who are specifically impaired teachers, learning how to utilize handicap hand controls can be challenging. What I do propose is that you begin driving as you did when you first learned to drive (if you haven't already). Always start with another driver in the car who can take over; start small in supermarket parking lots late at night and work your way up to driving on roads with fewer people, such as early in the morning, until you feel comfortable driving normally again.