• Home
• eLibrary
• Disability Related Services
• Independent Living Services
• Transportation
• Adaptive Driver Training

Adaptive Driver Training

Driver Training Program (DTP) for Persons with Disabilities Adaptive driver training is instruction for people with disabilities to learn to drive using vehicles which have been modified to accommodate a disability. In Connecticut, the State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provides evaluation, instruction, training and licensing of people with disabilities who need special equipment to drive a car.

This program is for qualified permanent Connecticut residents who need special equipment to drive a motor vehicle. There is no charge for this training. As of July 1, 2025, this program is housed with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Visit the website for more details: Drive a modified vehicle

How To Apply to the DRS Program

• Contact the DMV Driver Services Division at (860) 263-5723 to obtain the required medical clearance. You must provide information regarding your disability.
• The DMV will send you medical forms which your doctor(s) must complete and return to the DMV on your behalf.
• A DTP Instructor will evaluate and assess your driving abilities, and the instructor will work with you to determine the type of special adaptive equipment required to meet your needs.
• The DTP Instructor will provide all aspects of skills training, including city, rural, secondary and limited-access highway driving.
• After you have successfully demonstrated to the DTP Instructor that you possess the abilities to safely operate a motor vehicle and have complied with all requirements, you will be eligible for the DMV to issue you a limited (restricted) license.
• A limited license may contain one or more of limitations (restrictions), which shall be noted on your license (see website for specific limitations).
• If you are unable to demonstrate to the DTP Instructor sufficient skills to safely operate a motor vehicle, you may apply for a CT non-driver ID card.

Completion of the driver training program alone does not entitle you to operate a vehicle. Securing your operator’s license is the final step in this process towards enabling you to drive. Once your limited (restricted) license has been issued to you, you must drive only under the conditions identified on your restricted license. You should not operate a vehicle that does not comply with the limitations (restrictions) on your license.

COST

• No fee for evaluation and instruction
• Set fee for license

Who is Eligible?

• Are a permanent Connecticut resident;
• Have a physical disability which requires special equipment to operate a motor vehicle;
• Received medical clearance from the DMV Driver Services Division
• Have a valid license or, if you are a new driver, have a valid Learner’s Permit;
• Complied with the DMV identification, residency, vision screening, knowledge testing and driver education requirements; and
• Are able to independently transfer from your wheelchair (if you use one) to the driver’s seat of the DTP training vehicle. Or, we will provide the training in your own specially-equipped vehicle that has already been modified to accommodate your wheelchair. All vehicles used for training shall be properly registered, insured, and equipped with an instructor’s brake.

 To Find Providers in Connecticut’s Community Resources Database:

Search by service name: Adaptive Driver Training

————————
SOURCE: Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services: Driver Training Program for Persons with Disabilities
PREPARED BY: 211/jm
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: August2025