Hand controls

[Jwm]

Hi, all!,


I havent posted in a while , sorry!!


I am just wondering , I am starting to drive I recently passed the written test, and have to take the road test...I was wondering are there any "Grants" whatever in new mexico that could help me get hand controls? They are expensive!!! haha. I am 18.


Thanks

JWM

[dahliafaolan]

I don't know if they have this in New Mexico, but I'm pretty sure they should. There's a company in Louisiana called Louisiana Rehabilitative Services that helped me to get my hand controls. They actually paid for it all. I didn't have to pay one red cent for my hand controls, but I did have to buy the vehicle. So you should definitely look to see if there is a New Mexico Rehabilitative Services too. They might also be able to help you if you want to go to school.

[angel]

I got mine through vocational rehabilitation. I believe every state has this office. They are there to help you do whatever you need to get a job or go to school. I didn't pay for mine either I needed them so i could drive back and forth to college. I am sure you will have to do one of the two either work or go to school before they will be willing to pay for them. At 18 years old that is a direction i would assume you would be looking at anyway.

Angel

[Summer25]

I also got hand controls and a van through VR. It took fighting, but they finally agreed. They will usually only get them for you if you are working or trying to get a job. School for them means absolutely nothing. I fought them because at the time I was only going to school. My arguement was "well I am going to school to get a job. I can't get a good job until I get a degree." It finally worked.

[dahliafaolan]

Actually, I think that depends on the state and the degree you're going for. My voc rehab counselor seemed to love bending over backwards to get me what I needed for school. They offered to pay for my classes and books. I denied them since I had scholarships. I did however, take their offer of a laptop. (I was in a fall when I was a teenager and injured my right wrist so that it made it hard for me to take notes by hand and keep up with the professor.) I also took them up on the hand controls for my van. They did make me go through extra driving classes. I had to go through ten one-hour sessions with a driving instructor that specialized in teaching people to use hand controls. That was an interesting experience! The instructor came from over three hours away because the more local office got washed away in Katrina. She was a nice lady, but she got me lost in a back country road area and made me go on the busiest street in town at the busiest part of a Friday afternoon on my second lesson.

[LisaJoy]

http://www.dvrgetsjobs.com/Pages/Eligibility.aspx

Looks like there's a Department of Vocational Rehabilitation office in Las Cruces.

It would definitely be worth your while to make an appointment with them.

[Dodger67]

You guys are lucky - here in "Darkest Africa" you're on your own if you want hand controls or a wheelchair that isn't a bog-standard heavyweight old fashioned folder.

My hand control unit was not expensive - about US$100 and it came with very good instructions - simple to install with common hand tools. I currently drive a 24 year old Mazda hatchback but I'm looking for something better.

[Jwm]

Thanks for all of the help!!,

I have started to email or call all of the websites you reccomended, and ones i found from your suggestions. I do have a mini van, dodge. We will continue to look into all of this info Thank you so much again!!

[weelz]

oh and good luck and premature congrats on the license cause im sure it will go just fine for ya!!!