Written by Sylvia Longmire and shared from her Facebook post of March 28, 2024
This is not a video game controller. In a few months, this is how I will be driving my wheelchair accessible minivan.
Driving for me, as it is with many people, is my freedom. It allows me to travel on road trips with my children, go to the airport, go to the hair salon every week, go out to listen to live music with my friends. Unfortunately, because MS is progressive, my right hand and arm get weaker every year and driving has become more difficult. I already use hand controls for the brake and gas, but it’s getting harder to turn the steering wheel and shift gears with my right hand. The last thing I need is to find myself in an unsafe or dangerous situation, especially if I’m driving with my children in the car. 
Yesterday, I went to the Tampa VA driver rehab office for evaluation to determine my options. Apparently, there is a one of a kind drive-by-wire system available for people exactly like me. When it was first developed, it was modeled after the F-16 fighter jet, believe it or not. With just this little joystick, I can accelerate, brake, and steer my van. It also comes with a touchpad that I can use for my blinkers, windshield wipers, cruise control, air-conditioning, basically all the secondary controls. All of this can be done with just my left hand.
Obviously, this is a completely new way of driving. I have to spend a full week in Tampa and complete roughly 30 hours of training to get used to it. I have to order a new van through the VA, which I had been planning on doing anyway, and wait for them to modify it for accessibility and then install this system. I’m hoping for the end of summer.
This will be a total game changer for me, as I really thought my driving days were becoming very limited. It brings me SO much anxiety to be in a stressful situation with people waiting for me to turn or move just to get stuck because I’m having trouble turning the wheel, or waiting for my nervous system to calm down so my right arm has enough strength to put my gearshift in park. I have to drive basically scrunched up against my steering wheel so I’m close enough to have enough leverage with my right arm to turn the wheel and shift, and it’s not particularly comfortable. I’m just so incredibly grateful for programs like this through the VA, I’m grateful for the privilege of being a veteran so that I have these benefits, and grateful for your tax dollars that pay for it.