Adaptive Driving
Personal transportation is the key to independence. Alpha One's adaptive driver evaluation program was founded in 1978 and is the oldest driver evaluation program in the State of Maine and one of the first in the country. Our driver evaluation provides drivers with assessment in our office and in a vehicle in an off and/or on road course.
Our driver evaluation program is designed to help people RESUME driving following a disability or to help young adults with developmental disabilities START driving. The intent of our driver evaluation is to HELP people become more independent with their personal transportation…not to deny a person the opportunity of achieving this goal.
Our staff are dually licensed as Occupational Therapists and Driver Educators in the State of Maine. Our adaptive driver evaluation process functions consultatively to Maine's Bureau of Motor Vehicles. As such, documentation of your driver evaluation, along with medical documentation completed by your physician, is provided to the BMV to pave the way for you to re-license or become initially licensed as a driver. In the State of Maine, motor vehicle operation is a privilege, not a civil right. Drivers with disabilities or medical conditions that may affect motor vehicle operation are REQUIRED BY LAW to self-report these issues. By participating in Alpha One's driver evaluation, consumers fulfill this self-reporting requirement as they are communicating solutions that will positively affect their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle to the BMV with our documentation.
All driver evaluations are conducted in our South Portland, Maine office and will last three to four hours. The driver evaluation will identify what the driver will need for adaptive driving equipment and what type of vehicle style will best meet their needs and accommodate adaptive driving equipment. The driver evaluation will also determine the driver's readiness to participate in a traditional driver's education program, any classroom or instructional techniques that will improve the driver's learning and recommendations on the amount and type of in-vehicle driver training that may be indicated. Should drivers need additional on the road training, Alpha One refers students to driving schools in the students home town recognizing that commercial schools have a responsibility to provide this service to all students under the Americans with Disabilities Act and that students learn best in their own environment.
Alpha One's driver evaluation is a fee for service on an hourly basis. All driver evaluations are conducted in our South Portland, Maine office. Vocational Rehabilitation, Worker's Compensation, and the Veteran's Administration are all referring organizations. Download Application Forms and Driver Introduction Pack
Consumers interested in participating in a driver's evaluation may start the process by completing the on line application, or by calling 1-800-640-7200 V/TTY or 207-767-2189.
Questions about the process can also be directed to the appropriate staff by emailing: driver@alphaonenow.com