Dad Tells His Adult Daughter To Learn How To Drive Despite Her Multiple Disabilities Because He 'Hates' Picking Her Up All The Time
Since doctors have told her not to, it would be illegal for her to do so.
Rido / Shutterstock Living with a disability, or having a loved one who lives with a disability, is a challenge that you truly cannot understand unless you live through it.
One young woman shared her story of being disabled and trying to help her parents understand that there are some things she simply can’t do.
A woman who has been told by doctors that she should not drive is being pressured to drive by her dad.
An anonymous woman on Reddit asked for advice after having a disheartening experience with her father.
The 22-year-old explained, “I … have been diagnosed with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, low muscle issues, anxiety, and I’m slightly blind. I got diagnosed from the age of two to seven with everything.”
“Due to all of my diagnoses, I am unable to drive anywhere,” she continued. “I can still bus places and take Ubers, but being driven somewhere is sometimes the best option for me.”
She then shared one of the most important pieces of her story: “Multiple doctors told my parents I would be unable to drive due to being slightly blind and having anxiety.”
Unfortunately for this woman, the easiest option for transportation is not financially sound.
“As I’m unable to hold a full-time job, I don’t have heaps of money coming in, so Ubers are usually a last resort,” she said.
So, she falls back on her plan B — having her parents help out. “Yesterday, I had asked my dad if he could pick me up as the bus I was supposed to take never came,” she said. She clarified that “he picks me up once or twice a week at most.”
Her father was, sadly, not very understanding of the help his daughter needed. “When he went to pick me up, he made a few comments saying it would be a lot easier if I could drive, and how I should learn to drive anyways despite [the] fact that doctors don’t want me to as he hates having to pick me up all the time,” she said.
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After this, the woman decided it was time to stand up for herself.
“I replied that it’s just what happens when you have a disabled child, and it’s something you have to put up with,” she recounted.
This didn’t go over very well. “He took massive offense to that and told Mum, who thought I was being incredibly rude,” she stated.
If a doctor tells you not to drive, you have to follow that instruction.
Although this man may wish his daughter could drive to be more independent, and she may even wish the same for herself, it would be illegal to go against a doctor’s counsel on the issue.
The National Institutes of Health said, “A patient should be advised when it is not safe to drive. If he disregards this advice and drives, he would be breaking the law and would not be covered by his insurance.”
If this woman were to drive against her doctor’s advice, she would not only be breaking the law but she would also not be covered by insurance. So, if she were to have an accident due to her medical conditions, that would not be covered by insurance.
This is an area where social services could really step up.
Right now, there are some existing programs that help those in need get rides. For example, United Way connects participating companies through “vanpools” so employees can get to work. However, there is really no standardized system for those with disabilities and medical issues to get rides.
This needs to change. If people had access to these life-supporting services, it would make a huge difference and help people like this woman live independently.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.