Barry Senior Occupational Therapist “I assess people to see if they are able to drive. I also make cars accessable to people who have disabilities.”

Barry has two areas to his work; one is to check whether a person is suitable and safe to drive. Sometimes this is for the Driver and Vehicle Lisensing Agency (DVLA). The second is to look at vehicle access and at equipment and techniques to make cars accessible to passengers or drivers – the person with the disability may not always be the driver.

Why would you need to assess someone to see if they can drive?

Usually it's when people have a condition such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or perhaps someone who has had a stroke or a head injury. If these people have been unable to drive for a while they will need an assessment so the DVLA can see they are fit to drive.

Do you work with other people?

Yes, within our team there are other occupational therapists (OTs) and also driving instructors. We all work together and we are known as driving assessors by other professionals.

Where do you work?

The driving assessments take place at the Mobility Centre but when we're working with people to help with vehicle access sometimes we go to their homes. At other times they come to the Mobility Centre where we have different car adaptations and cars with hoists, swivel seats and wheelchair access.

What do you enjoy about the job?

It’s really great when we can tell people they can drive again. This gives them a huge part of their life back. It gives them the freedom to go where they want to go without relying on other people. Likewise when we can help someone to get back into a car as a passenger either by teaching them new techniques for getting into and out of the car or by making adaptations to the car so they can get in and out more easily. This again gives people freedom to improve their quality of life.

I guess the down side is telling people they can’t drive?

Yes that’s right. People who come to us for assessment think in themselves that they are ready to drive. They also have to pay for the assessment so they've invested time and money. To then tell them they can’t is really hard but we explain it's in their best interests, we have their safety to think about as well as the safety of other road users.

What challenges are there in your job?

The fact that people come to us with different conditions proves challenging because every person I see is different. Some have very severe disabilities and we have to find ways either so they can drive or even just get into a car. This is one area I am looking into as part of my future research. There is very little research to do with driving and disability and old age.

Working as an occupational therapist isn’t just about being in hospitals it's about providing support in all areas of a person's life. It's a very flexible career option.