New to being disabled/wheelchairs/motability so many questions...

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RollingRhino

Dear All, 

I have recently applied for PIP and hope given the profound disability I have suffered that they will award enhanced. I am awaiting the report as it would appear they chose to perform a paper based assessment. I have lost use of my legs and am now weak in one arm, the other not great but good enough. I can still drag myself on a frame ~ 5 metres with a rest. I include this point as it maybe relevant to the below question. 

Currently I have to be lifted and pushed into our car as a passenger. I am hoping to get back to driving. My dream is to again drive independently but in reality, I may have to accept my wife’s help.  

If I get enhanced PIP I am thinking of getting a specialist vehicle on the Motability scheme. It is expected that I will have a power chair in the coming weeks as I can’t self propel a manual chair. I therefore need to understand how this would work. If I could pull myself up and out of the chair and drag my way around the car with a frame Is there such a device that would take the chair into the car for me? Or do I have to be sitting in the chair. Some of the leases are quite long and I my health has declined greatly in 14 months. So I am thinking I will ultimately need a Wheelchair accessible vehicle. Is it possible to have driver adaptation to a WAV that does both? 

This is a whole new world to me. I desperately want some quality of life back but also have to accept my disabilities too. Of course I may get no PIP but I am told by those knowledgable that it would be beyond a travesty, if I were not awarded enhanced for both elements so I can but hope that’s the outcome. But assuming I do, can anyone guide me through how this works and what I can get. It was only first ever mentioned to me on Friday that motability even existed. I am totally naive to the help out there and trying to learn fast. 

If I tell you what I think would be the ideal solution and you can maybe agree or disagree? I have seen a tourneo connect, which would stow a wheelchair and is relatively car like. Is there a way of having something pull my chair into that vehicle usually without me being in the chair so I could get around the front to drive (not sure what I would do with my frame when I get there)? And as this progresses could I just be wheeled in maybe and my wife drive the car? Can the adaptions added be temporarily or permanent removed easily etc? Not having seen a power chair the doctors and OTs are going to recommend yet, I don’t know if I will now be strong enough to assemble such a chair and arrange the lifting into the car anyway ?? 

Sorry for all the rambling and questions I just don’t know what’s possible.... 

Any help would be gratefully received ?

poppy123456

Hi,

My advice is to wait until you see the assessment report and see what points are recommended in that report. They usually go with it, it's rare to go against it. You'll also need to wait for a decision to made before doing anything else.

Once a decision's been made if you are awarded Enhanced mobility then you should visit a dealer of your choice, take you PIP and driving license with you and the motability advisers will give you all the advice you could possibly need, this is what they are there for. Being a motability customer myself for the past 3 years i've always found them very helpful.

WAV's can be accessed with a wheelchair and yes you could drive them from the chair but extensive adaptions will be needed for this and there will most likely be a charge for some of the adaptions. WAV's are also leased for a minimum of 5 years, rather than 3 years for other vehicles. Some vehicles also require an advance payment that must be paid before you collect your vehicle too. Hope this helps and good luck with the PIP claim.

See link for further advice. https://www.motability.co.uk/