April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month

Wildman said:
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.
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Never underestimate the level of stupid in government or it’s employees!
 
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Modoc Guy said:
Never underestimate the level of stupid in government or it’s employees!
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This one just pisses me off.

WA requires you to disclose your disability & then you have 45 days to schedule and take a driving test with the DMV. You don't have to take the written test but you have do the driving test to show that you can operate the vehicle safely. So I have a restriction on my license that says I have to wear my prosthetic while driving.

And then to get my motorcycle endorsement back i had to retake the ride test. But the requirements in MI are just stupid IMO.
 
Wildman said:
This one just pisses me off.

WA requires you to disclose your disability & then you have 45 days to schedule and take a driving test with the DMV. You don't have to take the written test but you have do the driving test to show that you can operate the vehicle safely. So I have a restriction on my license that says I have to wear my prosthetic while driving.

And then to get my motorcycle endorsement back i had to retake the ride test. But the requirements in MI are just stupid IMO.
Click to expand...

You could probably break the internet trying to list all the stupid in government, and most DMV’s are shining examples of it.

It’s just too bad as a society, we ran out of common sense YEARS ago!
 
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Modoc Guy said:
You could probably break the internet trying to list all the stupid in government, and most DMV’s are shining examples of it.

It’s just too bad as a society, we ran out of common sense YEARS ago!
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IT's like some of the laws still on the books but that aren't enforced unless someone wants to be an ass.

One that I found funny was spitting on the sidewalk. In Snohomish, WA it's illegal.
But yes we lost our ability to apply common sense a LONG time ago. Power corrupts and this is just some idiot enjoying his power.
 
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Couple of sockets from other amputees.

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Not interested in getting into another "Things Shouldn't Cost That Much" discussion....

Here's a $90K prosthetic. This hand is pretty cool. Once you learn how to operate it you can get up to 5 gestures with the hand. Before it broke the favorite gesture was flippin people off.

It can grip/grab/turn/pinch & middle finger...

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