What is getting in the way of independence?

You don’t need to determine the solution before referring. Start with what has changed for the participant.

Returning to driving

The participant wants to explore returning to driving following their motor vehicle injury.

Driving requires modification

Physical, sensory or cognitive changes may require modified controls, equipment trials or an adapted driving pathway.

Getting in or out of the vehicle is difficult

Transfers, wheelchair loading or passenger access are limiting safe and practical transport.

The vehicle may need modification

The participant may require driving controls, transfer assistance, vehicle access or equipment transport solutions.

Wheelchair or seating needs have changed

New or changing physical needs require assessment of mobility, seating or wheelchair equipment.

The home environment is creating barriers

Access, transfers or daily function within the home have changed following injury.

Several of these problems overlap

Driving, wheelchair, vehicle access and home requirements need to be considered together rather than in isolation.

If you are not sure where to start, tell us what has changed and what question you need answered. Our team can help identify the appropriate Williams OT pathway.

Returning to driving can involve much more than a driving assessment.

Following a serious motor vehicle injury, returning to driving may require assessment of physical, cognitive, sensory and functional abilities as well as consideration of the vehicle itself.

Williams OT’s driving pathway can include occupational therapy driver assessment, on-road assessment, driver rehabilitation, modified driving instruction, vehicle modification assessment, equipment trials and training.

Where modifications are required, the aim is to connect the assessment, equipment and rehabilitation pathway rather than treating each stage as a separate problem.

Here is our three-step plan:

The car is only one part of the mobility picture

A person’s mobility needs do not reset when they move from the home to the wheelchair and from the wheelchair to the vehicle.

A participant may require a wheelchair that works within the home, enables safe positioning and transfers, fits their transport arrangements and remains compatible with their longer-term driving or passenger needs.

Looking at those environments together can identify conflicts earlier and support more practical long-term solutions.

Home ↔ Wheelchair & Seating ↔ Vehicle Access ↔ Driving

Williams OT can contribute across each of these environments.

Williams OT is listed by the LSA as a Specialised Assessment Provider for Wheelchair and Seating, and Home Modification Assessments. Williams OT has also provided driver assessment and rehabilitation services to LSA participants for more than a decade.

The Lifetime Support Authority maintains a Specialised Assessment Provider List for providers meeting additional requirements for particular complex assessments.

Williams OT is currently listed for

Complex Home Modification Assessments

Complex Wheelchair and Seating Assessments

and has provided LSA driver assessment and rehabilitation services since the Scheme commenced in 2014

For Service Planners, this provides a clear pathway to a Williams OT team that can also consider how these needs interact with driving and vehicle mobility.

Motor vehicle modifications may support an LSA participant to return to driving or travel safely as a passenger.

Depending on the participant’s needs, modifications may involve alternative driving controls, vehicle access, wheelchair loading, transfer solutions or other equipment.

Williams OT can assess the functional need, trial appropriate options where required and provide recommendations to support the LSA’s decision-making process.

Today’s solution also has to make sense tomorrow.

Significant injury can create needs that change over time.

A wheelchair choice can affect vehicle access. Vehicle access can affect transfer methods. Transfer requirements can affect the home environment.

Assessments should therefore consider not only the immediate problem but also the participant’s functional goals, likely future needs and the environments in which equipment will be used.

Why refer to Williams OT?

Driving at our core

Driving assessment and rehabilitation has been central to Williams OT since the organisation was established in 2011.

Connected services

Driving, vehicle modification, wheelchair and home modification needs can be considered together where appropriate.

LSA specialised assessment listing

Williams OT is listed for Wheelchair and Home Modification Assessments.

Clear communication

We aim to provide clear clinical reasoning, recommendations and next steps to support Service Planner decision-making.

What information helps us get started?

• participant details
• Service Planner contact details
• reason for referral
• relevant injury and medical information
• current functional concerns
• participant goals
• specific question to be addressed
• relevant reports
• equipment or modification history
• funding approval or scope where available

Don’t have everything yet? Contact us and we can advise what is needed to get started.