It took Talli Osborne seven years to get a vehicle she could drive and the licence to drive it.
Osborne, who was born without arms and shortened legs, got her licence three weeks ago and is now able to drive her dream car, a modified fuchsia Mini Cooper.
Osborne was born in Montreal, raised in Toronto and moved to Hamilton as an adult. The motivational speaker has been living in Las Vegas since 2022.
Her journey to be able to drive has been long but Osborne was determined. “If you truly want to achieve something, you can do it no matter what the hurdle,” she told CBC Hamilton while in Ontario last week on a visit.
The journey started with an initial meeting with an occupational therapist that she says cost $1,000. Following that came getting a used Mini Cooper, as well as getting a quote for modification work from the car dealership.
When she got the quote of nearly $100,000, Osborne said she “almost barfed.”
She looked at grants and fundraising campaigns to get the money needed to modify the car. But the COVID-19 pandemic began and her hopes of getting the funds took a hit. It was around this point her mom suggested that 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 fuchsia Mini Cooper she can drive using extended gas and break pedals, a touch screen and modified steering wheel.
“If I sell this car, that’s me literally giving up on this dream, and I’ve come this far already. Like, I have my dream car. So I just kept paying for it and paying the insurance,” she said.
Then Osborne got a call from the War Amps’ Child Amputee Program telling her they would pay the remaining balance.
“I almost cried,” she said.
Getting the modifications done
The work on Osborne’s car was done by Courtland Mobility, a dealership in Burlington, Ont., that modifies vehicles for wheelchair access and other accessibility adjustments.
Tom Lancaster, a shop manager with Courtland Mobility, said this was a “unique situation” where the modifications required driving equipment that was very specific and adapted for one person.
The outcome, Lancaster said, was to design it so that the user could keep their independence and to be able to access things other drivers may take for granted.
“The idea that she would need somebody with her to drive the car would make it kind of a redundant project because the idea is she can go and do what she wants when she wants by herself,” he said.
One of the modifications includes a five-inch diameter steering wheel mounted on the left door with a cup that Osborne uses to turn the wheel, which then moves the main steering wheel.
Other changes include extended gas and break pedals, a touch screen that Osborne uses with her left foot to change gears and activate turn signals, and a seatbelt she can put on by herself.
‘A level of independence and freedom’
The vehicle also had to be shipped to Maine for some of the modifications to be done there, and then shipped back — “another huge hurdle,” she said.
Once it was finished came another hurdle — getting her licence in Nevada where she was living by then. That involved getting a report from another occupational therapist, and dealing with forms that asked for details about what was assumed to be her “illness.”
“I was born this way and nothing’s changing,” she said. “It was just kind of degrading for me because I’m not ill. It felt so disgusting.”
Osborne has been sharing her journey on social media. One of the videos of her driving posted on her Instagram account had been viewed 21.4 million times as of Friday.
While the response has been largely positive, there have been negative comments that range from calling Osborne’s presence on the road “dangerous,” to questioning her need to drive on her own.
“It makes me sad that they see me and they see this amazing video and that’s where they go,” she said.
“For me to get my licence, it’s a million times harder, so I’m going to be a million-times better driver.”
Now that she has her full licence, Osborne said her mom, who had earlier suggested that she sell the car, has changed her tune. Osborne also wants to eventually drive to California to see her friends in Los Angeles.
“I’m so proud of myself for not giving up on that dream,” she said.
Mir Osborne, Talli’s younger sister, said she looks forward to visiting Las Vegas and getting picked up by Talli from the airport.
“I cannot stress to you enough how eager I have been for this to happen. Because it’s just sort of been something we’ve talked about, dreamt about, kind of tried to imagine for decades since we were young,” Mir said.
“This is a very positive thing in the right direction for a level of independence and freedom that a lot of people with disabilities don’t get to have.”