Driver Rehabilitation

Driving involves fine-motor skills, and driving in crowded situations can mean making dozens of fast decisions, all at once. Our Driver Rehabilitation Program helps you work on your driving skills as you work through an injury or an illness.

The Driver Rehabilitation Program has been helping persons with disabilities begin or return to safe driving since 1990. Our staff works closely with each patient to work toward independence.

Schedule an Appointment

For more information about the program, please contact the Driver Rehabilitation Specialists at 216-778-2293 or 216-778-7319. To schedule an appointment, please call 216-778-4414.

When you enroll, our occupational therapist will perform a thorough driving evaluation to determine how well you're driving behind the wheel on public roads. Then, we determine what may be needed to improve your driving ability, such as hand controls, wheelchair adaptations, physical therapy or something else altogether.

Some people come to us after an injury, such as a stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, or amputation. Many seniors benefit from driver rehabilitation, also. Our therapists work with older drivers and their families so that everyone can make smart choices about maintaining safety and independence as long as safely possible and finding alternative transportation options, if it is safer to retire from driving.

Driver Rehabilitation Program FAQs

What are the benefits and services of the program?

Driver evaluation–an in-depth clinical evaluation of vision, cognitive/perceptual skills, physical abilities, and an on-road, behind-the-wheel evaluation in a MetroHealth sedan, compact SUV, or wheelchair accessible minivan to assess the individual’s potential to begin or resume safe and independent driving.

Driver rehabilitation/training–address specific impairments, areas of concern or training with required adaptive equipment, if necessary, identified during the evaluation. Recommendations for any necessary driving adaptive equipment will be given upon completion of the program. 

Vehicle modification consultation–provide an individualized plan for specific vehicle modification(s) to be made to personal vehicles for transporting passengers with disabilities and or wheelchairs/scooters.

Who performs the evaluations?

All services are provided by a MetroHealth Occupational Therapist who is also a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist, licensed by the Ohio Department of Public Safety as a driving instructor for persons with disabilities.

What if training is necessary?

The Driver Rehabilitation Specialist provides an individualized plan for on-road, behind-the-wheel training or rehabilitation to address problem areas identified during the evaluation.

The therapist may also train the driver how to use adaptive equipment (if necessary) to ensure that a person has the skills needed to safely and effectively operate a vehicle, including modified vehicles, if needed.

This process occurs in a training vehicle provided by The Driver Rehabilitation Program. Vehicle modifications may be recommended by the Driver Rehabilitation Specialist to include accelerator, brake or steering control devices, wheelchair or scooter handling options, etc.

What is required to participate in the training?

Participants must meet the following criteria before scheduling an appointment:

• Patients must be 16 years and older
• Possess a valid, not suspended or expired, driver’s license or temporary permit
• Participants must be seizure-free for the last year
• A physician’s referral or prescription for an Occupational Therapy Driver Evaluation and Rehabilitation program accompanied with medical history is required

Is this program be covered by insurance?

All insurance policies are different. However, we will work with the patients to verify if services may be covered, determine payment options or assist with investigating potential alternate funding sources.