The T.K. Martin Center is designing a car to allow disabled persons who have difficulty driving a better chance to owning their own vehicle and being able to drive it. “The Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities will be funding this project for the next two years,” Judy Duncan, the Case Manager at the T.K. Martin Center, said.
“The car that the engineers are working on is called ‘The It’, and it was purchased from Dynasty Motor Cars in Canada,” Duncan said.
“We are planning to have the project finished within the two years in which the funds are available. After we are finished, the design will go to a local vehicle manufacturing company so that this car can be placed out on the market,” Duncan said.
Students and engineers are putting tremendous effort into the design of this car.
“The car that we are working on here at the T.K. Martin Center is actually an electric car that is designed to drive short distances, such as around town.
“It can be driven 20 to 30 miles before having to be recharged,” says engineering student Jacob Davis.
Some disabled students on campus are actually participating in the designing of this commuter car in order to make this car beneficial to everyone.
“We are having to make a lot of adjustments to the body of the car to allow someone that is in a wheelchair to be able to enter the car through the back and actually lock down their wheelchair at the place of the steering wheel,” Davis said.
“We are actually going to have to lower the floor in order to install the electric ramp to allow the person to enter the car, and we are adapting the driving control in order to make driving possible for people with different needs,” Davis said.
“It is a great independence to be able to drive. Our whole culture is built around being able to drive and get where we are going. We want this to be possible for everyone,” Davis said. “Soon, people that originally could not drive will be able to drive, and that is our entire goal of this project.”
“I am hoping this design will be successful for my benefit and others. The disabled have the same desires and needs as the able-bodied and we want to be able to do the same things as everyone else,” senior Terrance Johnson said.
“A lot of the time the disabled are left out whether it is intentional or unintentional. I am glad that someone is actually taking the time to design a car that will be to the benefit of the disabled,” Johnson said.