Company helps those with disabilities gain on-road independence
Voice control devices, hand held accelerators and rotatable seats are among the hi-tech devices a Sydney company is fitting to vehicles to suit drivers with a disability.
North Shore
Don't miss out on the headlines from North Shore. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Modified motor vehicles assembled at a garage on Sydney’s north shore are helping to open up the road to thousands of people living with a disability across Australia.
Voice control devices, hand held accelerators and rotatable seats are among the hi-tech devices fitted to vehicles by Total Ability to assist people with a disability gain the independence of being able to drive.
The Artarmon-based business was founded by former athlete Paul Crake after he became a quadriplegic in a cycling accident in 2006.
Mr Crake, who was also a world record breaking stair climber, said getting back on the road was a key part of his rehabilitation process.
“Before the accident I was a professional cyclist and was very used to being active and independent,” he said.
“I got blown off the road (by strong winds) and in a blink of an eye my life was turned upside down.
“The first few years were really challenging but then I started to see a way and means to overcome that — getting back into work was the key thing.
“Many people without a disability don’t realise that work can be like your antidepressant pill — you have that reason to get up in the morning.
“Being able to drive can also be the psychological trigger a person needs to do other things in life — it can be employment, looking after your family or going travelling.
“We don’t just want to help people get independent, we want them to take those extra steps and reach their full potential.”
Modifications and driving aids fitted to vehicles include electronic accelerators, steering devices and voice controls for secondary driving functions, such as windscreen wipers and indicators.
Once fitted, a driver learns to operate the equipment and undergoes assessments before sitting a drivers licence test.
Mr Crake said modifications on vehicles often have “more wiring than the car itself” and can be fitted to sedans or vans, based on individual needs.
Nick Neville, who assesses drivers in the testing process, said it can take up to 80 hours of lessons for a driver to become comfortable and confident with the technology.
“For someone who has driving experience it can take six to 10 lessons, but if you have someone with cognitive issues or a learner driver it may be 20,” he said.
Mr Crake said products used to modify vehicles are mostly imported from Europe and can suit drivers with disabilities including paraplegia, quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, stroke and brain injury.
The next step for the business will be undertaking new research and development, partly funded through a $74,500 grant from the Federal Government’s Automotive Innovation Lab Access program.
Federal North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman said the company was “an example of the great ideas that come out of the businesses in our area.”
Mr Crake said vehicle modifications and driving aids fitted by the business were supporting approximately 300 drivers each year.
The company is one of just three business specialising in vehicle modifications for people with a disability across Australia.
Mr Neville said there was growing demand for the technology.
“Now that the NDIS is on board we’re also seeing an increase in autistic drivers and drivers with anxiety sit for assessments,” he said.
“Assistive technologies can really help people with intellectual or learning difficulties. For a person with anxiety, it can be navigation aids or reverse cameras — anything to reduce the strain on driving.
“For a person with a disability, being able to drive means they don’t have to organise transport or feel as though they’re dependent on other people.
“They can get to work, take their kids to school, or nip up to the shops — all the normal things we take for granted.
“It can change a person’s life.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Dramatic arrest when car crashes after alleged police chase
A man has been hit with a string of charges after allegedly taking police on a chase in a stolen Mercedes before it was involved in a crash on the northern beaches.
Inquest call 50 years after mystery disappearance of Sydney woman
A tormented family is calling for an inquest into the mystery disappearance of a young Sydney woman 50 years ago — they believe she may have been murdered.