“My car is a tool of freedom.”
In his late twenties, Axel Wernås is a sportsman through and through. From an early age, he learned that mobility aids grant him personal independence. We sat down with him to talk about being as lazy and independent as possible.
Professional basketball player and administrator Axel Wernås uses his car as much as possible: “I use my car a lot, including driving to my basketball training twice a week.”
And if he’s not busy with something else, he also tries to squeeze in a workout at the gym during the week. He explains: “The car is an important part of my everyday life, and I don’t need to worry about whether I have access to transportation. The car is a tool of freedom.”
During working hours throughout the week, his electric car, an Audi Q4 e-Tron is, also used by students at the driving school where Axel works in administration and finance. However, the adaptations with a Carospeed Classic and a steering wheel spinner make no difference to the driving school’s students. They learn to drive the adapted EV like any other car.
Not staying at home for a smaller life
Without his accessible vehicle, he would probably choose to stay at home much more and have to plan completely differently. “I wouldn’t have been as flexible, or able to do as many things, and would have had to prioritise activities differently. People are lazy and tend to choose the easy way over the complicated one. Without my own adapted car, life would have become much smaller.”
“Without my own adapted car, life would have become much smaller.”
Axel was born with a spinal cord injury and got his first wheelchair at one and a half years old. That was the first step towards his independence. He explains: “It seems like a simple thing, but I learned immediately that I could be independent.”
His parents had told him that they had to look for him when they were at the hospital for medical appointments because he had driven off and disappeared with his wheelchair. As a child, he also practiced walking a lot. Today, as an adult, he can put his wheelchair in the boot and then walk up to the driver’s seat while holding onto the car.
Reliable car adaptations for an unknown future
Using the wheelchair as a one-year-old was the first important step. When he got his driving license 17 years later, the car was the next step. It provided Axel with the opportunity to move freely over longer distances.
“If you have access to an adapted car, you can choose and decide for yourself, you don’t need anything other than yourself, your aids, and your car. Everyone with disabilities wants to be as independent as possible.”
As a child and teenager, Axel also had a powered wheelchair, with which he could keep up with his friends from the start. When they were out and about, he could roll along while they played football. He summarizes: “When you have a disability, you don’t know what the future holds, but the adaptations and their functions are out there.”