Ask the experts

Q. have had a call from a disabled resident who passed her driving test a number of years ago and is keen to get back on the road. However, she is looking for a refresher course to boost her confidence. The enquiries she has made so far have been less than fruitful, having been advised that she will have to travel to Coventry from Stratford for such a service. Surely a case of discrimination, as everybody else wanting to access a driving instructor has a door-to-door
service! I am struggling to find anybody in this area (south Warwickshire) who is fully qualified to teach in an adapted car and who could provide the service this lady is seeking. Any advice you are able to offer would be warmly welcomed.
Ann Catchpole, Social Inclusion Unit, Stratford-on-Avon District Council

EP: As you have discovered, in some areas there is an acute shortage of approved driving instructors with the right training and who have the appropriate adaptations fitted to their vehicle(s). If you need anything other than simple adaptations, such as basic hand controls, it can be really difficult to find an instructor with the right type of vehicle.

The Forum of Mobility Centres is currently working with the Department for Transport and other stakeholders to improve the quality and quantity of tuition services across the UK. I’m surprised, though, that the instructor you’ve identified isn’t willing to travel. Most recognise the difficulties and attempt to provide a decent door-to-door service. The Mobility Centre at Carshalton provides training for driving instructors and maintains a national register of driving instructors who have undertaken this. They can be contacted on 020 8770 1151 or emailed at info@mobility-qe.org
It is also worth contacting your nearest Mobility Centre as they often work closely with local driving instructors and, in some cases, will provide tuition or vehicles themselves. Your nearest centre, Birmingham, has recently started running courses for driving instructors, so would be well worth contacting on 0845 3371540 or emailing at info@rdac.co.uk

The full list of Mobility Centres across the UK can be found at www.mobility-centres.org.uk or by ringing the national information line on 0800 559 3636. Motability are also worth a call. For example, they may be able to assist young disabled people, aged 16
to 24 and in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance, with the cost of driving lessons, and have an arrangement with
a UK-wide provider.

They can be reached on 0845 456 4566.

Q have an electric wheelchair, a Jazzy 1121. I have had it about a year or two. If I went to America, how do I go about recharging it? I lived there most of my childhood and they have a different electrical system and I would like to buy an adaptor or similar device and be sure it would work when I get there. If I have to go in an emergency I do not want to have to run around looking for an adaptor. I may be visiting the country soon. Also, if there was a problem with the wheelchair, how would I go about getting it repaired? I would be going to a place just outside New York.
Maureen Sheehan, London

AW: If you are considering taking an electric wheelchair to the USA, you will require the use of a transformer in order to cope with the difference in the voltage between the UK and the USA. A transformer is normally available for hire for approximately $60-$70 per week. The following web-link takes you to an American website, which provides details of suppliers near where you are staying www.access-able.com/dBase

These particular models are commercial grade 800-watt transformers and can be used to recharge batteries in power wheelchairs, battery-powered electric carts (ECV scooters) and other medical equipment.

It is important to remember to bring your wheelchair battery-charger with you, as these transformers will not work without one. Should you have any mechanical difficulties with your electric chair, while in the USA, Accessible Travel can provide you with the contact details of a mobility specialist based around New York, which rents and repairs electric wheelchairs and scooters.

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Linda is director of Disability Law Service (DLS). DLS is the only service controlled and managed by disabled people that offers free legal advice to disabled people, families and carers.

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John, who is blind, has worked in the disability sector for nearly 25 years, mainly as a disability journalist and consultant. He is an adviser on the Disabled Living Foundation’s helpline.

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Andy is a disabled travel industry professional with over 25 years’ experience and is managing director of Accessible Travel, a specialist tour operator providing holidays for people with mobility impairments.

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Ed is chief executive of the Forum of Mobility Centres. The centres provide driver and passenger assessment
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Alan is a social policy adviser for Citizens Advice, and an adviser at Rickmansworth Citizens Advice Bureau in Hertfordshire. He has a particular interest in benefits issues.