Lecture Reflection: Community Mobility


     Community mobility is an important aspect of an individual’s life. Today’s guest lecturer is a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist and really opened my eyes to how occupational therapists can work with clients to regain their ability to navigate their community through driving. What stood out to me was the countless ways you can adapt a vehicle in order to make driving accessible. This includes adapting the gas pedals into hand controls or installing a lift in the back to easily load an electric scooter. Another aspect of his lecture that struck me was the clinical judgement skills an occupational therapist must develop to screen clients before moving to the driving assessment. You must be a skilled clinician to observe your client and ask questions that will serve as your guide to whether they are safe behind the wheel. You may assess their cognition including process skills, judgement, or memory to be impaired and deem it unsafe to continue on to the driving portion.

     There are many ways occupational therapists can design interventions to support others to gain community mobility skills. An occupational therapy intervention for an individual could include leading your patient through a simulated driving experience where they would have to practice using their blinker, putting the car in park, ect. An intervention for a population could include leading a community mobility group and facilitating a hands on experience where clients not only learn about the bus system but also plan and take a bus route to their local supermarket.

     Although I don’t currently see myself working as a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist, I am grateful that I now know what is available for my future clients and where I can refer them to when they need testing or driving support. I also now see how I can provide interventions without being a CDRS to still support my clients in regaining or maintaining their ability to navigate their communities.

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