Drive to Independence

Accessing the Program

The Drive to Independence program is a specialized drivers training program designed for individuals with physical, visual and/or cognitive disabilities.This program is offered at St. John North Shores Hospital located near the quiet shores of Lake St. Clair in Harrison Twp.

In order to be eligible to participate in this program, the following criteria should be met:

• A physician referral.
• Seizure-free for six months.
• Must be 18 years of age.
• A valid driver's license or a temporary learner's permit.
• Meet Michigan state visual guidelines.

Scheduling an Appointment

Once you determine your eligibility, you can schedule an appointment by calling
St. John North Shores Hospital at 586-466-5234.

Location

The Drive to Independence program is located within St. John North Shores Hospital at 26755 Ballard Rd., Harrison Twp., MI, 48045. Please see the map on back for more details and directions.

Professional Staffing

Licensed driver educators and certi. ed driver rehabilitation specialists evaluate program participants and provide behind-the-wheel instruction. All of our instructors are college degreed rehabilitation professionals who have completed extensive training in evaluation and behind-the-wheel skills.

Cost

• 3 hour evaluation: $396
• On-the-road training: $72 an hour

Components of the Program

• An in-clinic assessment of your medical and driving history, physical ability, cognitive status, visual and perceptual skills is performed at the onset of your participation.
• Within the driver education segment of the program, our instructors will educate the driver to become knowledgeable, alert and responsible through one-on-one instruction, visual demonstration and on-the-road training.
• In order to determine a participant's equipment and training needs, our instructors use adaptive devices and make recommendations for commercially available adaptive equipment, and installation in order for the participant to become more independent.
• Our instructors use a standardized route to conduct a behind-the-wheel evaluation, this provides a quantitative analysis of the driver's skills.
• Training sessions are scheduled in 30 or 60-minute increments, with the number of sessions required dependent upon the participant's skill and equipment needs. This behind-the-wheel training is provided in a variety of graded real-life traffic situations.
• Referrals and outside resources will be provided, if necessary, depending on the needs of the patient.