It took Talli Osborne seven years to get a drivable vehicle and a driver’s license.
Osborne, who was born without arms and with shortened legs, got her driver’s license three weeks ago and can now drive her dream car, a modified pink Mini Cooper.
Osborne was born in Montreal, grew up in Toronto and moved to Hamilton as an adult. The motivational speaker has lived in Las Vegas since 2022.
Her road to driving was long, but Osborne was determined. “If you really want to achieve something, you can do it, no matter what the hurdles are,” she told CBC Hamilton during a visit to Ontario last week.
The journey began with an initial meeting with an occupational therapist, which she said cost $1,000. She then purchased a used Mini Cooper and got a quote from the car dealer for modifications.
When she received the offer for nearly $100,000, Osborne said she “almost puked.”
She looked for grants and fundraisers to get the money to convert the car. But then the COVID-19 pandemic started and her hopes of getting the necessary funds were dashed. It was around this time that her mother suggested she sell the car.
Watch: Talli Osborne demonstrates how she drives her new car
Former Hamilton resident and motivational speaker Talli Osborne gets behind the wheel of her dream car – a pink Mini Cooper that she can drive with the help of extended accelerator and brake pedals, a touchscreen and a modified steering wheel.
“If I sell this car, I’m literally giving up my dream, and I’ve come this far. I have my dream car. So I just kept paying for it and paying the insurance,” she said.
Then Osborne received a call from War Amps’ Child Amputee Program telling her they would pay the remaining balance.
“I almost cried,” she said.
Make the changes
The work on Osborne’s car was done by Courtland Mobility, a car dealership in Burlington, Ontario, that converts vehicles for wheelchair users and makes other accessibility modifications.
Tom Lancaster, branch manager at Courtland Mobility, said this was a “unique situation” where the modifications required very specific and individualized driving equipment.
The result, says Lancaster, was a design that preserves the user’s independence and gives him access to things that other drivers take for granted.
“The idea that she would need someone to drive the car would make the project redundant, because the idea is that she can go out on her own and do what she wants, when she wants,” he said.
Modifications include a five-inch diameter steering wheel mounted on the left door with a cup that Osborne uses to turn the wheel, which in turn moves the main steering wheel.
Other changes include extended accelerator and brake pedals, a touchscreen that Osborne uses with her left foot to shift gears and operate the turn signals, and a seatbelt that she can fasten herself.
“A certain degree of independence and freedom”
The vehicle also had to be shipped to Maine so that some modifications could be made and then shipped back – “another big hurdle,” she said.
When she finished, she faced another hurdle: getting her license in Nevada, where she now lived. That involved getting a report from another occupational therapist and filling out forms asking for details about her alleged “illness.”
“I was born like this and nothing changes,” she said. “It was just kind of degrading to me because I’m not sick. It felt so disgusting.”
Osborne has been sharing her journey on social media, with one of the videos of her ride posted to her Instagram account having been viewed 21.4 million times as of Friday.
While reactions were largely positive, there were also negative comments, ranging from claims that Osborne’s presence on the road was “dangerous” to doubts about her need to drive alone.
“It makes me sad that they see me and this incredible video and go there,” she said.
“It’s a million times harder for me to get my license, so I’m going to be a million times better driver.”
Now that she has her license, Osborne says her mother, who had previously advised her to sell the car, has changed her mind. Osborne also wants to drive to California at some point to visit her friends in Los Angeles.
“I am so proud of myself for not giving up on this dream,” she said.
Mir Osborne, Talli’s younger sister, said she was looking forward to visiting Las Vegas and being picked up by Talli from the airport.
“I can’t tell you enough how much I’ve wanted this. Because it’s just something we’ve talked about, dreamed about and tried to imagine since we were young,” Mir said.
“This is a very positive development in the right direction and leads to a level of independence and freedom that many people with disabilities do not have.”
