December 2016 Meeting Notes

2016-Dec-3
Lee Perry of Driving Aids Development Corp (DADC) on adding hand controls to autos. We drove one around the lot. <Their Website>.

Most ordinary cars can have hand controls added. The cost, which can be modest, depends on the car and the choice of functions to be added.

In most cases, a modified car can be driven in both the normal manner (such as by a caregiver or by a patient wanting to proactively obtain experience) or by using its hand controls.

Mr. Perry holds many patents and is one of the country’s leaders in this technology. One of our members has DADC controls and is quite pleased. Two others are planning to get controls installed.

There are other hand-control vendors. We’ve not had an opportunity to meet with them.

• MobilityWorks in Alexandria, VA (https://www.mobilityworks.com/hand-controls/)
• Bedco Mobility in Silver Spring, Md (http://www.bedcomobility.com/suregrip-drivingaids.php)
  

Personal Note From Mike Foxworth 

• Hand controls have a “cottage industry” feel to them.  As far as I know, there are no national or world standards for them, such as safety or performance specifications (like minimum braking distances or reaction times using a hand brake). In fact, DADC is a small business operated out of Mr. Perry’s home in Vienna, VA.
  
• Departments of Transportations (such as Virginia’s) do have regulations that specify things like restrictions on driver’s licenses that specify that the operator must have certain hand controls to be allowed to drive. 
  
• Potential adopters must work with their auto insurer to see what coverage is available. 
  
• Lee Perry went over some of this at our support group meeting, but anyone considering use of this technology should contact their vendor and begin a serious conversation. 
  
• I suspect the final call in many cases will be made by a DOT driving inspector who watches how well the disabled person drives when using one of these modified cars. While the devices are easy to use, there are special training classes to become evaluated and certified.”

Driving a car or van with push pull hand controls should only be done by those who have had sufficient training by a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS).