Accessible Racing Comes to Springfield

Brian Hannaford and Peter Ruprecht, co-founders of Accessible Racing in Fairfield, N.J., visited Shriners Hospitals for Children - Springfield to introduce patients to auto racing. The company is dedicated to bringing adaptive racing to people with disabilities.

As a nonprofit organization, Accessible Racing provides stock car driving experiences for licensed drivers. Their car is the only NASCAR-style race car modified for wheelchair users, and features an accessible driver's door that opens to 90 degrees. The car also includes specialty features such as dual seats, low resistant steering, hand control brakes and gas pedals, and an instructor's side brake and steering for safety.

Patients had the thrill of sitting in the one-of-a-kind brightly painted race car. As each child prepared to sit in the car, Ruprecht would switch out the steering to accomodate for the child's physical needs.

Patients also had a chance to try out a race car simulator developed by Lee Perry, president of Driving Aids Development Corp. in Vienna, Va. Perry set up a modified driving simulator system that uses the iRacing software platform, a real-time, Internet-based, simulated racing competition.

Most racing simulators use pedals, but this system required the use of a steering wheel. Perry modified and redesigned the module with adaptive devices to enable people with disabilities to experience driving a race car.

As the patients took turns using the simulator, several therapists observed the simulator's adaptibility and functionality. "The benefit of the simulator is that it shows how to use adaptive equipment in real-time, giving the user the experience of what they are going to need in real life to drive a car," said Nancy Ruscio, a physical therapy assistant at the hospital.

Shriners Hospital newsletter reaches out to 6,500 employees in the hospital system. To learn more about accessible racing, visit www.accessibleracing.com.