I want to drive — I miss it: the freedom to spontaneously, easily move over hundreds of miles to follow your needs and desires. The steps between me and driving are multiple. First, I need to learn how to take apart my wheelchair from the driver’s seat and bring it in, piece by piece, between me and the steering wheel. My old four-door sedan is probably the worse car possible for this procedure: it’s small, the doors are narrow, the wheelchair frame gets caught on me or the wheel. No matter how many times I tried with the guidance of my occupational therapist, I couldn’t do it on my own.

So, I decided I would sell my old car and get another. I did some research on features that can make the wheelchair process easier. I went to dealerships. I tried getting into different cars. It was probably one of the weirdest test drives the salespeople experienced. I figured it out: the process I liked best avoided the whole ‘taking wheelchair apart’ problem. I figured out I like hatchbacks: I could transfer from the chair into the trunk, then pull it up after me. First problem solved: both me and the wheelchair were in the car. But we were in the trunk. Now what? I found cars in which the back seats folded flat or could be taken out. I could then scoot all the way to the front seats. Next? I figured out that if the front seats could also lie flat, I was able to transfer to the front passenger seat, and then from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat.

The car in which all this is possible is the Honda Element. It also fulfills other key requirements: both Ben and I can sleep in it, the gas milage is reasonable, it’s not too tall, etc. Yesterday, finally, I bought a car. Ben drove me all the way to Bakersfield so I could get a good deal. After a four-hour process with too much haggling for my taste, we ate some celebratory sushi and drove home in the Element.

Second step: I have to get hand controls installed in the car. Finally, I have to re-learn how to drive using hand controls. But the path forward is now clear. I’m so excited this piece of the puzzle is in place. And I can’t wait to go camping.