July / August / September • Issue 3 • 2019
Driver’s Rehabilitation and the Role of OT, Continued from Page 1
The client is using an EMC AEVIT (Advanced Electronic Vehicle Interface Technology) system during his driving rehabilitation
session with Brandon. Marianjoy is one of the few programs in the United States that has a high tech evaluation van like the one
pictured above.
or left-foot accelerator pedals and everything in-between.
We are one of the few programs in the United States with
a high-tech van which can give individuals with profound
physical needs the opportunity to drive.
What does a typical work day look like for you?
No day is the same and I think that’s the part I love
about the program. I’m sure many occupational therapists
can relate, but in driver rehab we could train someone for
weeks and months – even over a year – and really build
that bond or we can simply evaluate someone and never
see or hear from them again. During a typical day, we tend
to multiple phone calls and emails from potential and past
clients, mobility dealers, Department of Rehab Services
counselors and school payor sources. We may also contact
the Medical Review Unit in Springfield to check on driving
licenses or permits. We are always working on bettering
ourselves whether it’s reading new research articles as part of
our journal club, working on research and presentations for
conferences or educating potential clients and therapists.
In terms of inpatient treatment, we provide a driving
consult to educate patients and their families on the driver
rehab process, explain that we advise them to complete all
other therapies before returning for a driving evaluation
and not to purchase any equipment without first consulting
with a certified driver rehab specialist.
All our clients will complete a 2.5+ hour driving
evaluation in which we’ll assess their vision to ensure they
meet the Illinois state requirements while also assessing
oculomotor skills and visual perception. Depending on age
and diagnosis, we’ll progress through a variety of cognitive
assessments examining hand and eye coordination, visual
processing, memory, and selective and divided attention.
We’ll then complete a physical assessment in which we’ll
assess their arms, legs, neck, trunk and transfer ability in
relation to driving.
Depending on diagnosis, we may trial various hand
controls in the clinic before setting up one of our 6
vehicles with the necessary equipment. We then complete
a 45-minute in-vehicle evaluation in which we start out
on Marianjoy’s 60-acre campus in Wheaton to make sure
the client is comfortable with basic vehicle control in a low
traffic density environment. If the client is using adaptive
controls for the first time, it is likely we won’t leave campus
on the initial evaluation. If we do leave campus, we have a set
route that starts out in a simple residential area and slowly
progresses to more complex driving environments where we
can better assess defensive driving and overall rules of the
road knowledge. Following the behind the wheel evaluation,
we’ll then have a discussion with the client and their family
regarding the results of the evaluation. We may recommend:
the driver return to regular driving practices following
approval from the referring physician, a series of lessons to
further assess driving ability while providing education and
training, or the client wait until they continue to mature or
heal while completing a series of pre-driving exercises. If we
feel the deficits observed are too dangerous and unlikely to
be corrected, we would recommend driver retirement.
Continued on Page 4
Page