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August 28, 2006
Good Shepherd's Adaptive Driving Program Expands to Include Adaptive Van Evaluation and Training
Lehigh Valley Area Residents No Longer Have To Travel Out of the Area for Service

Allentown—Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network’s Adaptive Driving Program now offers adaptive van driving evaluation and training for individuals with limited upper extremity strength and those who use a wheelchair. Lehigh Valley residents will no longer have to travel to Philadelphia or Hershey for an evaluation that includes recommendations on van modifications.

Good Shepherd recently secured a new 2006 Pontiac Montana van that has been modified with three types of hand controls, a variable effort steering system, a ramp, a left gas pedal and other adaptive devices. Modified vans are used by people who are wheelchair dependent or who have limited upper extremity strength from neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida or a spinal cord injury.

“Being able to drive is a big part of regaining independence for many people with disabilities,” says Angela Brown, driver training specialist, Good Shepherd Adaptive Driving Program. “By adding a van to the Adaptive Driving Program, we are bringing services closer to home for people with disabilities who would like to or need to drive a van.”

A doctor’s prescription is necessary to schedule an evaluation and training at the Adaptive Driving Program. The first step in the evaluation is to determine whether the individual has enough strength to drive and has no vision problems. Those who are able to proceed take to the road with a registered driver training specialist in an adapted Good Shepherd vehicle. The driver training specialist makes recommendations for additional training and adaptive equipment.

The Adaptive Driving Program is located in the new Good Shepherd Health & Technology Center at 850 S. Fifth Street in Allentown. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 610-778-9200.