Sue Johnson-Smith Drives a Van | University of Illinois Archives

Sue Johnson-Smith demonstrates a zero-resistance steering mechanism and a console on which extended handles allow her to control lights, turn signals, windows, and other electrically-controlled features of the van.

While students with disabilities at the U of I were not the first people with disabilities to drive their own cars, it is important to recognize that the U of I approach to driver's education meant that anyone who really wanted to drive could be accommodated. The refinements of hand controls, developed elsewhere, were combined by U of I students and staff to give independent mobility to people whose paralysis was extensive in their arms and shoulders as well as the rest of their bodies.

Found in RS: 16/6/13, Box 1

Tiff

Image measures 20.9 cm W  X 26.7 cm H