This is some TOTALLY fucked up shit in Michigan.....
I have a question about Driving in MICHIGAN as an RBKA with a prosthetic leg. Today, 08/03/2022, the Secretary of State, Driver Assessment Office reissued a RESTRICTED DRIVER's LICENSE to REQUIRE ME TO HAVE CERTIFICATION BY AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST (OT-DT) DRIVER TRAINER in order to drive using just my prosthetic leg. I have letters from both my Prosthetist and my P.T. Ph.D. stating that I can drive independently. However, MICHIGAN SOS does not recognize Prosthetists and PTs as appropriate to document my ability to drive independently with an adaptive device. It must be an OT-DT!
I paid an OT-DT $675 for a 3-hour evaluation that recommended Hand Controls unless I continued improving under P.T. and Prosthetic Supervision. I have and the PT and Prosthetist have written documentation letters. P.T. has provided over 50 hours of Insurance Paid training, and the Prosthetist rode around with me to document that I had no difficulty using my prosthesis to brake and/or accelerate. So, what is the story with SOS? I have done as they asked, yet now they want another OT-DT @ $179.00/hour to CERTIFY THAT I CAN DRIVE WITH MY PROSTHETIC LEG. SOS will NOT ACCEPT documentation from a PT, and Prosthetist that I am able to drive. Again, it must be an OT-DT.
I will also state that SOS has disrupted my community-based rehab program of driving to/from PT, Prosthetists, Medical Appointments, and Support Groups because the MTA Your Ride Services are over-booked and only provide transportation to folks who are going to/from employment. I am frustrated to a high degree and now have a reputation with SOS as having an abrasive personality. I call it Self-Advocacy! (I fired the OT-DT who turned my ($675.00) purchased assessment over to SOS without 1st providing me with a copy! I also filed a CIVIL RIGHTS complaint against SOS for denying me a routine Driver's Assessment which they will provide to anyone in Michigan who wants to drive. If you have a disability, they separate you out and supposedly provide equal services-- NOT).
I've been stuck in this SOS Driver Assessment mess for 6 months! And why does the Rehabilitation Team (M.D., PT, OT, OT-DT) not work positively with patients to help them understand that it is an OT-DT that will determine whether, or not, they will ever drive again in MICHIGAN? Patients pay a high price when caught in a Rehab team that does not explain and cooperate among themselves) Talk me out of this mess I seem to have gotten myself. Or find me an OT-DT who will assess me as I drive with them while using my Prosthetic leg?
I have the SOS list of Certified OT-DTs in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. They seem to be scarce as Hen's Teeth.