After 7 years and almost $100K, Canadian woman born without arms and short legs can now drive

It took Talli Osborne seven years to get a vehicle she could driveand the licence to drive it.

Osborne, whowas born without arms andshortened legs,got herlicence three weeks ago and is now able to driveher dream car, a modified fuchsia Mini Cooper.

Osborne was born in Montreal, raised in the Toronto area and moved to Hamilton as an adult. The motivational speakerhas beenliving in Las Vegas since 2022.

Her journey to be able to drive has beenlongbut Osborne was determined.

"If you truly want to achieve something, you can do it no matter what the hurdle," she told CBC Hamilton while inOntario 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 gettingaused 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. Butthe COVID-19 pandemic began and her hopes of getting the fundstook a hit. It was around this point her mom suggested that she sellthe car.

WATCH |Osborne demonstrates how she drives her new car:

Born with no arms, Talli Osborne can finally drive thanks to a modified car

21 days ago

Duration 0:50

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 brake 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 Programtelling her they would pay the remaining balance.

"I almost cried," she said.

Getting the modifications done

The work on Osborne's car was done byCourtland Mobility, a dealership in Burlington, Ont., thatmodifies vehicles for wheelchair access and other accessibilityadjustments.

Tom Lancaster, a shop managerwith Courtland Mobility, said this was a "unique situation" where the modifications required driving equipment that wasveryspecific and adapted for oneperson.

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 carwould 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 includesa 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 brake pedals, a touch screen that Osborne uses with her left foot to change gears and activate turn signals, and aseatbelt she can put on by herself.

'Alevel 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 licencein Nevada where she was living by then.Thatinvolved getting a reportfrom 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 hasbeen sharing her journey on social media. One of the videos of her driving posted onher Instagram account had been viewed21.4milliontimes 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 hermom, who had earlier suggested that she sell the car,has changed her tune. Osborne also wants to eventuallydrive 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."