A Canadian woman who was born without arms and with shortened legs has, after years of obstacles and a high price for the special car of her dreams, fulfilled her life’s dream: she can drive a car.
Talli Osborne, 44, got her driver’s license in Las Vegas and is now mobile again after a seven-year ordeal prolonged by the COVID pandemic, a $1,000 appointment with an occupational therapist and a nearly $100,000 quote for a pink Mini Cooper customized for her needs, she told the CBC.
Osborne said she was proud of herself for not giving up on her goal.
“If you really want to achieve something, you can do it, no matter what obstacles stand in your way,” Osborne told the outlet.
Osborne said that when she received a quote of nearly $100,000 to modify the car to her specifications, she “almost puked.”
She had bought the used model without any modifications. Then, shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic started and since she did not have enough money to fully customize the car to her needs, her mother suggested selling the car.
“If I sell this car, I’m literally giving up my dream, and I’ve come so far,” Osborne said to himself. “I have my dream car. So I just kept paying for it and paying the insurance.”
Osborne then received a call from War Amps’ Child Amputee Program, which provides financial assistance for prosthetics to children with amputations. The group said it would help pay for the fittings.
“I almost cried,” she remembers.
Modifications to the car include a 5-inch-diameter steering wheel mounted on the left door with a cup that allows the steering wheel to be rotated, extended accelerator and brake pedals, and a touchscreen that Osborne uses to change gears and operate the turn signals.
The car is also equipped with a seat belt that Osborne can put on himself.
Once the car was ready, Osborne had one more hurdle to overcome: She had to get her driver’s license in Nevada. To do this, she needed a medical certificate from an occupational therapist and forms detailing her “illness.”
“I was born that way and nothing changes,” she told the outlet. “It was just kind of humiliating to me because I’m not sick. It felt so gross.”
Osborne, who works as a motivational speaker, has documented her journey to driving on social media. While the response has been mostly positive, she said she still receives some comments questioning her need and ability 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.”
Osborne now hopes to travel to California to visit friends – and will likely have more visitors herself, according to her little sister Mir, who says she can’t wait for her sister to pick her up from the airport the next time she’s in town.
“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.”
