At 73, Brian Phillips from Flitwick in Bedfordshire, has kept his independence thanks to essential car adaptations funded by a Driving Assessment Grant (DAG) and the support of Herts Ability, part of the Driving Mobility network.

Brian, a retired electrical contractor now lives with his daughter Lisa. His wife of 40 years sadly passed away five years ago.  Driving has been a part of Brian’s life for 53 years. He used to drive around the UK for work and since retirement, it has helped him remain independent. Two years ago, Brian had two transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and has gradually lost the use of his left hand. Brian swapped his manual transmission car for an automatic, but his daughter Lisa was still concerned about his driving.

Lisa found the Herts Ability ‘fitness to drive’ assessment centre on-line and got in touch to see if they could help. The admin team at Herts Ability booked an assessment for Brian at their Luton satellite centre, where he met Sarah Wright (occupational therapist) and James Hinkins (lead driving assessor).  Brian’s assessment went well. He was introduced to a steering aid, with a remote keypad for the secondary controls and within minutes grasped the concept.

Brian completed the assessment safely and described the drive as ‘brilliant and fun’, stating that James had even helped to improve his driving standard.  Once the assessment was complete, Brian set out to have his own car adapted but, the cost was too high and, without the DAG, he would have struggled to find the funds.

The DAG provided by Driving Mobility have been funded by Motability Foundation. The DAG grants assist disabled drivers who are not Motability Scheme customers. The grant can help towards the costs of a driving assessment, vehicle adaptations and familiarisation lessons at a Driving Mobility Centre.

Brian filled in a brief application form with the help of James and, within days, his grant application was approved. Brian says that with the help of Herts Ability, Driving Mobility and this very generous grant, he can maintain his independence. “I would like to thank all the wonderful staff at Herts Ability for their outstanding service. Their knowledge, professionalism and care are clear to see. I’d recommend Driving Mobility’s network of Mobility Centres, such as Herts Ability, to anyone needing support with their independence and would urge them not to feel nervous”

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Andrea James from North Tyneside who lives with a disability, has been given back her freedom to drive through a grant for specialist driving controls funded by the Motability Foundation, with assessment support from Driving Mobility.

The Driving Assessment Grant (DAG) is a grant funding scheme provided by the Motability Foundation and administered by Driving Mobility to assist disabled drivers who are not Motability Scheme customers. The grant can help towards the costs of a driving assessment, vehicle adaptations and familiarisation lessons at a Driving Mobility Centre.

As a national charity and supported in England by the Department for Transport , Driving Mobility accredits a network of ‘fitness to drive’ and equipment assessment centres around the UK that support clients who self-refer or are sign posted from the DVLA, Motability, NHS and the Police. Through the expert guidance of their clinicians, including occupational therapists, and Approved Driving Instructors, individuals with restricted mobility are assessed and the most appropriate driving controls are recommended from a clinical point of view. Andrea originally contacted the Driving Mobility centre at the Walkergate Park Hospital called North East Drive Mobility. The Mobility Centre advised Andrea about her driving requirements and also recommended she applied for grant funding from the DAG scheme.

Andrea explains her story: ‘I stopped driving a manual car in 2020 as I have a condition called neurofibromatosis which affects my nerve endings. This has resulted in me losing the sensation in my legs and feet so I was having to rely on the speedo more and more to gauge how much pressure I was applying to the accelerator. I was at the hospital for an appointment, and someone told me about Driving Mobility’s services. I went to see the Mobility Centre in 2023 and they were able to assess me and come up with recommendations. As the loss of feeling in my legs was going to get worse, they suggested an under ring on the steering wheel for acceleration and a push brake hand control. I got my head around using the controls quite quickly, but then I had to start saving for the equipment.”

Andrea managed to save half of the money required to get her car adapted however the rest was proving impossible to achieve. Being in part-time work, and with the cost-of-living crisis as well as her unpredictable health, Andrea couldn’t afford the adaptations and was having to accept a loss of independence which was damaging her mental health. It was only when the Driving Mobility centre mentioned the DAG that it all changed – getting back to driving could once again be a possibility. The centre helped Andrea with her application, which was successful. She was awarded the funding and arranged for a local conversion specialist to adapt her car within one week. Combined with several familiarisation sessions at the Driving Mobility centre, Andrea was back on the road in January and now life is a little easier.

In conclusion Andrea says: ” Being able to drive again is amazing. It means I don’t have to rely on my husband to take me to work or pick me up. I just take the car and can get to the shops independently. My husband doesn’t need to keep stopping what he’s doing to help me. I would definitely encourage everyone to apply for the grant if they are in a similar situation to me.”

“I only learnt to drive when I was 40 but for many more people who have driven all their lives, suddenly not being able to drive is a massive trauma. I know that if you have a physical disability it can affect your mental health too, especially if you can’t get out. I have had also surgery to have tumours removed and this, too, affects my wellbeing. Being able to drive is a massive thing which helps keep me positive and working.”