Nicky’s Drive
Nicky’s Drive is a registered non-profit organisation (086-364-NPO) that aims to assist South Africans with disabilities to be more mobile and independent through the funding of Hand Controls – Car Adaptations.
The lack of accessible public transport is one of the greatest barriers to the employment of persons with disabilities in South Africa.
The ability to drive an adapted car provides more than the freedom that we so often take for granted.
– It enables persons with disabilities to develop their self-confidence, gain better access to education and work opportunities, and to make a valuable contribution to society through their work and family life.
What Are You Looking For?
1. Introduction
2. Nicky’s Drive & DiSA Partnership
3. Nicky’s Drive – Nicky Abdinor
4. Fundraising For Nicky’s Drive – Motivational Talks
5. How To Apply For Funding
6. Nicky’s Drive Funding Recipients
7. Disability and Diversity Training
8. Current and Future Plans
9. Contact Nicky’s Drive
10. How Can We Help You?
In January 2022, Nicky’s Drive joined our “Accessible Cities South Africa (AC – SA)” platform to help promote accessibility and inclusivity in South Africa.
Nicky’s Drive supply free Hand Controls to persons with disabilities wishing to be able to drive and become independent.
DiSA would like to congratulate and thank Nicky’s Drive for the work they are doing and for joining our “Accessible Cities South Africa (AC – SA) ” platform and becoming an “Access Warrior” – Renewing their Membership in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Nicky’s Drive & DiSA Partnership
Disability info South Africa (DiSA) was started in 2015 by Alan Downey when he realised that there was still an urgent need for a free information service to assist and support persons with disabilities and their families.
Over the years DiSA has identified a need to become more than an Information and Support Service but also provide platforms to help Identify, Address and Remove barriers to an inclusive, accessible South Africa.
Through the support over the years from various organisations, companies and clubs such as Nicky’s Drive, we have been able to create a link between persons with disabilities and the companies, clubs and organizations that are available to assist them. Thereby creating a better accessible future for all.
Nicky’s Drive offer a variety of Services to assist persons with disabilities to become active members of society. By listing there service below and promoting them through our AC-SA platform with other Access Warrior – Service Providers and their services that they provide, we aim to ensure that all the pieces of the puzzle are in place to provide a complete Accessible Solution.
Please read the information below to find out more about the services that Nicky’s Drive can provide and contact us, or Nicky’s Drive, should you require any assistance.
Nicky’s Drive – Nicky Abdinor
Nicky Abdinor is the founder and chairperson of Nicky’s Drive. She was inspired to start a non-profit organisation, as she knows how empowering driving an adapted car can be.
Nicky was born without arms and shortened legs and always had a dream to drive. In 2001, someone in the UK (with a very similar disability) donated her “old” car to Nicky as she was in the process of getting a new car.
The costs of such sophisticated technology for Nicky to drive were beyond her reach, so this donation had a profoundly positive effect on her life.
Nicky’s Drive was founded in 2011 to inspire other people with disabilities to realise their dreams to drive!
Fundraising For Nicky’s Drive – Motivational Talks
All fundraising through Nicky’s Drive is provided through Nicky Abdinor’s motivational talks at conferences and events. A portion of Nicky’s speaking fee is donated to Nicky’s Drive and goes directly towards the funding of car adaptations in South Africa.
Since her 2011 TEDx Talk, “Driving Dreams”, Nicky has become a sought-after motivational speaker and has travelled around the world (and online during the pandemic!) sharing her story of resilience and cultivating optimism in uncertain times. Besides her unique story, Nicky has the added expertise as a Clinical Psychologist that further enhances her message to create sustainable changes in our attitudes, beliefs and emotions.
How To Apply For Funding
If you have a DREAM TO DRIVE, apply to Nicky’s Drive now! They could be funding your car adaptations in the near future.
To apply for funding, please contact: apply@nickysdrive.com or nicky@nickysdrive.com for an application form. The Nicky’s Drive committee (all volunteers) meet quarterly to review applications. They are able to support 4 projects a year with a maximum donation of R20 000 per project.
In order to be considered by the committee for the funding of a car adaptation project, your application will need to meet the following criteria:
– Applicants with a physical disability who are South African citizens may apply for funding.
– Preference is given to applicants who require accessible transport for work and/or studies.
– Applicants must have funding for their own AUTOMATIC vehicle and the maintenance/running costs of that vehicle.
– Applications need to include a driving assessment by an Occupational Therapist to assess the abilities/needs for driving, along with a quotation from a local car adaptation company.
– Preference is given to applicants from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
– Applicants need to be willing to be photographed or filmed for marketing purposes.
Please note that there is no guarantee that Nicky’s Drive can support every car adaptation project (as much as they wish they could!) Please be in touch for more information www.nickysdrive.com
Nicky’s Drive Funding Recipients
Disability and Diversity Training
Nicky Abdinor has a passion for making disability in the workplace WORK!
Nicky presents talks and training sessions on disability awareness that are particularly useful for HR, Recruitment and Transformation Managers who want to minimise the stigma of disability in the workplace, recruit more employees with disabilities and increase the successful integration of people with disabilities into their companies and organisations.
What makes Nicky unique is her own physical disability (she was born without arms and shortened legs), making her a credible agent of change in the field of disability in the workplace. Nicky’s expertise as a Clinical Psychologist enables her to facilitate discussions on the “hidden disabilities” (particularly, mental health problems) that are becoming a prominent feature in the workplace, impacting on productivity and work relationships.
This training (presented as either half-day or full day workshop or a keynote talk) aims to challenge each participant’s perception of disability, through interaction, information and inspiration. With legislation in place to promote the employment of people with disabilities, the participants will be given the opportunity to assess their attitudes and beliefs about disability that may be helping or hindering them with the integration of these laws into practice. This workshop is beyond the transfer of information, but an experiential opportunity for participants to think differently about disability and their own abilities.
1. Disability: from a medical to social model
2. Barriers to inclusion (physical and emotional)
3. “Disability Etiquette”
4. Challenges for disclosure of disability
5. Practical solutions for disability in the workplace
Current and Future Plans
Disability Rights Awareness Month is observed from 3 November to 3 December, culminating in National Disability Rights Awareness Day, but DiSA believes awareness and action must extend beyond a single month.
As a free and leading disability information portal, DiSA actively promotes year-round awareness through initiatives such as the launch of the Accessible Cities South African Platform and its partnership with Nicky’s Drive, which was started in November 2021.
Through this collaboration, DiSA commits to promoting inclusive practices, highlighting the benefits of employing persons with disabilities, and supporting organisations to create accessible environments that enable success for individuals, businesses, and communities alike.
True accessibility goes far beyond physical features like ramps; it encompasses access to environments, information, products, and services, requiring collective effort from all stakeholders to drive meaningful and lasting change.
Contact Nicky’s Drive
If you require any further information please feel free to contact: Nicky’s Drive
To apply for funding, please contact: apply@nickysdrive.com or nicky@nickysdrive.com for an application form.
Alternatively visit their website at: www.nickysdrive.com
How can we help you?
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