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Conditions and Diseases > Cerebral Palsy Forum > Coping with cerebral palsy
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Q: Coping with cerebral palsy
asked by: DoctorQuestion on July 17th, 2009
Hi i am sudarshan. I am a cp child(spastic diplegia). I have completed my computer engg from pune university and currently pursuing mba. I wish to learn driving? I have been practising for 6 months with vain. These are the problems that i face:

1. There is difficulty in releasing the clutch and pressing the accelerator at the same time.
2. The gear handling is also difficult with steering.
3. Thirdly,I have a somewhat poor road sense.

How these can be improved.


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Dr. Goce Aleksovski , MD
replied on August 16th, 2009
Cerebral Palsy Answer A7038


Cerebral palsy is a condition in which certain of the muscles (most often in the extremities) are affected, thus causing muscle weakness up to paralysis. This might cause a disability of a certain degree in the person, which would interfere in the everyday life, driving ability included.


However, there are many car modifications that might help people with a driving disability. In the beginning, it might be best to visit a doctor who might be able to determine the degree of disability and the modifications needed.


In different countries, there are associations that try to improve the life of people with disabilities. They also organize driver rehabilitation programs run by driver rehabilitation specialists. You might want to check if there is such an association in your country. They also might be able to tell you about legal issues related to drivers with disabilities.


As for the problems you are experiencing (difficulty in releasing the clutch and pressing the accelerator at the same time; the gear handling is also difficult with steering), it might be easily solved if you buy a car with an automatic transmission. This would eliminate the need for a clutch and a manual shift.


The problem with the poor road sense might need training from a driving rehabilitation specialist.




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