James Sweeney, 57 from Derry, has been able to continue driving with a disability thanks to the Driving Assessment Grant (DAG), funded by the Motability Foundation and provided by Disability Action, accredited by the charity Driving Mobility.
James works in domiciliary care administration for the Department for Health in Northern Ireland. He has lived with spinal muscular dystrophy since birth and, until recently, has been able to drive a standard manual car. Driving independently is essential for James as he is only able to walk short distances due to his condition. After the Covid pandemic he noticed that his mobility had changed, particularly in his legs, so he decided to contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) Northern Ireland. They advised that he booked a driving assessment at his local Driving Mobility centre, which is managed by the charity Disability Action. At that time James was not aware of a grant that could pay for his assessment and any adapted driving controls he might need. When he was informed that he might qualify for a grant to the cover the cost he was delighted.
James picks up his story: ” I needed to make sure I was safe on the road, for me and everyone else. I met with one of the centre’s Driving Assessors, Andrew, who explained the process and made me aware of the grant. I was unaware there was funding to cover the cost of driving adaptations to a private car. This was fantastic news. I completed a driving assessment for about 40 minutes in one of the centre’s cars where I got to try out push-pull hand controls for the accelerator and brake. Andrew recommended the best hand controls and then all I had to do was get quotes from different suppliers and the grant would pay for them to be fitted. It was a fluent and quick process in the end and very stress free.”
DAG is a grant funding scheme funded by the Motability Foundation and administered by Driving Mobility to assist disabled drivers who are not Motability customers. The grant can help towards the costs of a driving assessment, vehicle adaptations and familiarisation lessons at a Driving Mobility Centre.
James’ private car was fitted with his new controls and after two months of use, he finds the adaptations second nature to use. “I feel like I have been driving with them for years,” says James. He goes on to thoroughly recommend Driving Mobility: “I think they do an excellent job and without them I wouldn’t have been aware of the grant. I enjoy photography so being able to drive independently will help me continue with this hobby. However mainly the car is for day-to-day living, even just getting to the shops on my own is massive. I want to remain independent and not have to rely on others. Having the hand controls has given me more confidence to be out driving and I feel safer on the road. Driving Mobility has given me the freedom to get out and about and get anywhere I want to.”
In conclusion he adds: “I would recommend Driving Mobility services 100%. Firstly, I think they are extremely professional yet friendly and approachable at the same time. They made the process very comfortable right from the beginning. It was straightforward and there was no pressure. I have always had the philosophy of finding ways to make my life easier and so using hand controls was the solution I needed. It is a massive step forwards in terms of my mobility and independence.”
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