Hand controls-get them New UPDATE comment 4/14/2008 see text #4 - Get them before you are using a wheelchair!! - Personal - http://maxpages.com/happymspage/Hand

Update April 14 ,2008
I'm happy to see this is one of my book's favorite pages .That tells me more people that need this advice are coming here. Yes I have noticed in my area more with hand controls and license plates with the disabled logo liscense plates lately!

I'm also seeing other wheelchair users & people with very limited leg usage, going places alone and in cars .This is great.
My relative who works in the home office of one of the nation's largest auto insurance tells me that they keep a sharp eye out for the patrions who have diseases like multiple sclerosis and other disabling diseases that are likely to progress onward to more lost of strength and disability.She tells me that it is wise to get the hand controls long before you need a wheelchair and also let your insurance company know you have them.
Actually they usually have access to the state's file of known disabled drivers.
She checked into mine and told me they have a file saying I'm PPMS, a wheelchair user with handcontrols now for 20+ years.It also says i have an unblemished driving record over the last 25+ years.My state driver's license check up to see if I'm still able to handle a car safely said I had very good control of the car and used hand controls as if I had invented them.RET 4/4/08

UPDATE 11/11/2007 Its possible and now I have just heard from a woman who with
PPMS has a progressively worse walking gait even with crutches. Her driver's license office actually took away her dirver's license untill she gets hand controls.
She told the discense office she didn't think she needed them.
But they said we will tell you what you need to drive!
She told me she didn't want hand controls as she thought they cost too
much and they were just for thos ein wheelchairs all the time.
But she soon bought them inorder to keep driving.RET Nov.11,2007

UPdate; May 16,2004 A very good friend of mine ,who is also a lawyer
tells me if you haven't got the best of control of your legs you should
get hand controls.He says don't wait until you are in a wheelchair!!
He just finished defending a person (post Polio) who wore one brace
and used forearm crutches.His defendant client won the law suit only because
she had hand controls.He feels if she had not the hand controls she would
have lost the suit and her insurance company would have paid out many thousands of
dollars.the other side of the law suit maintained her car was out of control
as she is a cripple. The defence never denied that she is a cripple.But he did
maintain the other party was just as much at fauly if not more so as that
party was also on the cell phone at the time of impact. he didn't know this until
he found two witnesses that saw the accident and the cell phone company verified
the fact taht that particular cell whone was in a call at approx the time of the
accident. RET

Update; April 22,2001 ---- Like all assistive devices ,don't fight them
they are designed for making your life easier. There was a time in the beginning
when I first got hand controls over 18 years ago when I resented them.No more.
I realize I can't drive safely or as far with out getting very fatigued in my legs.
To not realize my legs have become very weak from MS is to deny my total existance.
I would rather not go on living as such.I'm disabled and all that will help me is
welcome.My hand controls are as necessary as my crutches and my scooter I carry in
rear of my van.Living without them isn't in the "cards"If someone would take them
away from me it would be the same as stealing my money or my furnishings in my home.
RET
This brings up the question ,When should you decide to have hand controls?
If you are reading this article the thought has crossed your mind ,then you probably
should have them.This isn't something you should long debate in your mind.
When you fatigue easily,and your arms are still stronger than your legs.Even if one leg
is still what some might call "good" then you need the controls.It will probably
go Bad some days soon. Hand controls aren't just for someone who is wheelchair dependent.
I started with them long ago .
I bought my hand controls in 1989 when completely installed price
was $275. Now days they cost about $600 to $700 installed .
Many states now also require you to take course to get used to them.
Once you are in your states computer as having hand controls it will
always be there and you may experience harrasment from the State's motor
vehicles unit .Since MS and its tendency to progress fastly they keep
wanting to sheck if you can still see good enough to drive and that your
arms and hands haven't gotten as weak as your legs.Most states think
nothing of disinfrancing you from driving especially if your MS seems
a lot different from the last time they checked you.Revised May 21,2006
RET

The following is written by Bea Ryne.
It was Oct.1996 that it became apparent that
the MS was finally going to take away my ability
to drive "nornally"!
Up until then, I thought I was doing fine...
however ,the 1985 Chevy Astro van I drove,with
automatic , but with no assistive devices was
a dead give-away thatI was not doing fine.
Using the gas pedal was rapidly becoming
Dangerous and my ability to brake was even Worse!
I was relying(stupidly, I might add)on my ability
to grab hold of my pants leg to get to the proper
pedal.Well the night I backedup and hit a
telephone pole, thus making it forever inpossible
to open the rear door,made me realize I needed
Help! Up til then the van had become the victim
of assorted dents,(misjudging how close I was
to the brick wall of the school)and I knocked
off the side view mirror, on the left,when I was
paying too much attention to my husband,( one of
the few times, he might add) as I backed out of
our garage.

We had the hand controls put on the steering
wheel on a Saturday, and my husband picked up
with ease the use of them, so he and I could set
off on sunday afternoon to "practice"! Now I
thought I could just use feet plus hand controls
at the same time, in other words, gas with a foot
and break with a hand control. Silly girl! Silly
stupid girl! My plan was working greatdoing this
in a deserted parking lot with my husband at my
side...I felt I was the world's greatest MS driver
that is, up till the following night, when I had
to drive our two boys to basketball sign up.
I do recall one son saying something like "Mom,
do you really know what you're doing?" But that's
all i remember. when you're driving at breakneck
speed( not by choice, but by the Deadly Combo of
half-hand controls and half feet) I was attempting
to stop by using the hand control, which is the gas
control.With the van not stopping but accelerating.
Well the van finally stopped and the boys and I
were still alive, no thanks to me.The fear of that
day kept me off the road for several weeks. To be
honest,in my mind I gave up driving that day!

But I slowly begin to learn all over, and this time
the correct way.I used all hands and no feet.Slowly
I got my confidence back and now I love the hand-
controls and can't imagine life without them!
And yes, I know what all you guys are saying....
Woman Driver!
Editor's note: Yes I remember it was not easy to
get used to hand controls, but I knew I had to do
it. Besides I had invested about $350 for the set,
and their installation. by Bernice R.

There are a variety of hand controls on the market
most good installers will take two to three hours
to properly install them. When you trade cars you
can remove them and have them installed on the next
car for about $140 labor charge.Most good sets are
costing about$675 installed. If you get a doctor's
prescription, you insurance company should pick up
part of the bill.

On new cars GM, Ford, and Chrysler will give you
a rebait on adaptive equipment up to $750.
If you have an accident and you don't have hand
controls, and it comes out in a trial that you have
MS you could loose the case right there.

Most states, ask you whenever you have your
driver's license renewed,if you have MS, and etc.
If you do and you don't tell them, you license
could be ruled invalid in a court case.
But once you get that restriction requiring
hand controls, you will never get it taken off
no matter how long you might be in remission
If you travel and you want to rent a car,
Avis has hand controls that are available, if
you let them know in advance. At no extra charge.

Eileen Lukeman and Richard Tanner

FL.

Eileen(Lobosgirl) and Richard (RET1000) both at aol.com

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Page Updated Mon Mar 9, 2009 11:28am EST