Bil Frank: Back behind the driver's seat

After driving for almost 50 years, not being able to was not easy for Bil Frank, who developed foot drop - a result of a pinched nerve from a long ago back injury.

After two surgeries, Frank arrived at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute - Golden Valley for an assessment with a specialist in our Driver Assessment and Training department. It was determined that Frank would need to adapt his car by installing a device so he could drive with his left foot. He would also need to take driving lessons and pass the MN State Road Test before he could hit the road again.

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute has been helping seniors and individuals with disabilities through driving assessment and driving training for more than 35 years. For Frank, this expertise was greatly appreciated as he took lessons with Jennifer Fischer, a certified driver rehabilitation specialist at the Golden Valley campus. "It was a little scary at first learning how to drive without my dominate foot. I don't think I'd be driving at all without Jennifer and Courage Kenny - everyone was so wonderful."

Fischer explains that learning to drive with your left, or opposite foot, can be really difficult: "It's really re-learning how to drive; sometimes it's trickier than learning how to use hand controls for driving. However, Bil was able to pick it up very quickly."

This spring, not only did Frank pass his driving test, but he was able to get the adaptive device installed into his own car so he could drive again. He's now back to feeling confident behind the wheel.