NMC’s Driving Workshop

On 25th July we held our first Driving Workshop at NMC where we welcomed Gary Jones, Centre Manager at the North Wales Mobility and Driving Assessment Service. Paul Chadwick kindly shared his driving experience and gave us a great demonstration in his WAV, a VW Caravelle. To see young people’s faces when they got behind the wheel of his WAV in their wheelchair was quite something!

Several clients and staff attended the workshop. We had people in their early teens who were thinking about learning to drive, one person had already started learning to drive and had just passed his theory test and there were others who had been driving a while but whose conditions had changed over that time. 
 
Gary explained;

• That the aim of an Assessment Centre is to offer advice, driver and passenger assessments to find a driving / passenger solution for drivers / passengers that need specialist equipment and or adaptations. They have supported many people with neuromuscular conditions and will help get you on the road.
• If you have any issues at all with getting in and out of your vehicle, stowage or driving it, then the Assessment Centre is there to help you. For example, you may start out with a manual vehicle. Over time you may have become weaker in your upper body and as a result need different controls to steer the car. There are plenty of options available. Once you have the right controls it is important that you get the right training so that you know how to use them safely. 
• As your condition changes there is plenty of kit available so that adaptations can be tailored to your changing need. Please be aware that if your condition changes you have a legal obligation to inform the DVLA. This does not mean you will lose your licence but you must inform them.
• If you self-refer then the cost is £89 for either a passenger or driver - A review of your driving assessment is £32. However, if you are referred to an Assessment Centre by the DVLA or Motability then there is no charge. 
• Gary explained that if you receive the higher rate DLA, adaptations can be paid for on the Motability Scheme. However it is means tested so it is sensible for the young person to apply in their own right. 
• If you have a disability and receive higher rate DLA or the mobility element of PIP then you can apply for grant funding to help with the cost of driving lessons. This used to just apply to those aged 16 to 24 but now applies to any age group.