Neurorehabilitation Therapy Center
Adaptive Driving Program
The Outpatient Neurorehabilitation Therapy Center, located at CompRehab Plaza, offers an Adaptive Driving Program that helps determine if a person has the physical, cognitive, and visual abilities necessary to safely operate an automobile. This program is a licensed driving school through the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. As part of the program, an occupational therapist evaluates a client's driving skills and assesses the need for special adaptive equipment if a loss of function has occurred. This evaluation includes both a clinical assessment and a behind-the-wheel assessment.
This assessment includes an evaluation of:
• Physical skills including strength, endurance, coordination, range of motion, and sensation
• Need for adaptive vehicle controls
• Abstract thinking and problem solving
• Memory function
• Ability to follow directions
• Attention span and response to distractions
• Visual acuity, night vision and glare recovery
• Reaction time
• Response to various traffic situations
• Knowledge of traffic rules and procedures
Who may benefit?
The adaptive driving program can help assess the skills of persons who have experienced:
• Stroke
• Amputation of arms and legs
• Head injury
• Paraplegia
• Neurological impairments
• Arthritis
• Orthopaedic conditions
• Visual impairments
• Loss of function due to aging
• Cardiac conditions
• Diabetic conditions
Referrals
Clients wishing to participate in this program will need a written order from a physician, a driver's license or permit and some type of payment. Payment sources may include private insurance, vocational rehabilitation, worker's compensation or private payment.
When someone is recovering from physical or mental injury or illness, the ability to regain driving skills is seen as the final step in returning to an independent lifestyle. Being able to go to the grocery store, the post office and the bank promotes a person's feelings of independence.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Adaptive Driving Program provides an evaluation to help these people, and those that care about them, know when it is safe to return to driving and if special restrictions or equipment are needed in order for them to do so. The occupational therapist will provide this information in addition to teaching clients how to use any newly recommended equipment.
For Additional Information
For additional information about the Adaptive Driving Program at CompRehab Plaza, please contact our Scheduling Coordinator, Penny Brown, at (336) 716-8004. We are located at 131 Miller Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.