Ron drove more than 300,000 miles after a life-changing spinal injury. When his condition changed, he thought his driving days were over.
Accessible vehicles and assistive technology are more than tools, they are lifelines that make independence, health and connection possible.
Ron’s story:
I was paralyzed C4-C6 at 20 during spinal surgery in December, 1963. My hands and arms were severely atrophied and impaired. But I walked out of the hospital after five weeks. I soon found that I could drive most cars with power everything. I drove two cars about 200,000 miles until I settled on a 1973 Monte Carlo in 1975. I drove that car over 300,000 miles until 1995 when it was no longer safe for me to drive. I was already in an electric wheelchair and scooters at work in 1993.
I rode Houston Metrolift the 20 miles to work and back with no thought of ever driving again. But on my annual check up to TIRR, it was suggested, twice, that I take a test with their driving OT, Chad Strohmatt. In 1993, he tried me out with hand controls, and it didn’t work. But by 1997, he had created a van with dual controls of a high-tech nature, that I tested on in my wheelchair and found that I could drive it. I went to the Texas Rehabilitation Commission advisor to see if I could get funding. I had to buy a van. With Chad’s help, I bought a VMI 1998 Ford Windstar. When I returned to the TRC advisor he was in the hospital. When another one finally replaced him, he bluntly asked me why I wanted to drive. I told him I had already bought the van. There was no turning back. The van cost me $27,000 and the $70,000 worth of modifications were paid for out of drunk driving funds in the state of Texas.
The van was in the shop of Mobility Plus from January 1998 to September. I trained about two months on Chad’s van and a month on my van before I drove it home in October. I not only drove that van alone to work every day, I took long trips to Wisconsin, Arizona and Yellowstone. I had many breakdowns and repairs, sometimes being towed in the van. And a couple of accidents that were repaired. At 95,000 miles, I asked if I could have another van made for me and TRC granted it. This time, the VMI 2006 Ford Freestar cost me $30,000 and the modifications cost $95,000, again paid by Texas.
Again, I drove until I retired at 69 in 2011. Took trips to Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida and Louisiana. I had an accident returning from the last Louisiana trip in 2015, but had the van repaired by insurance for $16,500. Once again, in 2017, I felt that it was becoming unsafe for me to drive at my worsening condition. I had the van modified so that it could be driven normally and I could ride on the passenger side. I drove 70,000 miles in that van. It gets very little use now, just taking me to appointments and occasional, short trips.
Learn more about resources and funding options on our Accessible Vehicles & Assistive Technology Resources page.
