Upon hearing her voice, Nicky Abdinor sounds like a vibrant and enthusiastic young woman who emanates positivity and a zest for life. What you can’t hear in the Clinical Psychologist’s voice is that she has no arms, shortened legs and yet still manages to fulfill a busy schedule and even drives herself to urgent meetings.

After being born with Phocomelia and Bilateral PFFD, the medical terms for the absence of arms and shortened legs, Nicky always strived to achieve independence even though she had been born with an unexplained disability.

“I went to mainstream schooling and was always encouraged to take part in all the activities with my peers- I just did things a bit differently! When everyone

 learnt to write with their hand, I used what was available to me, my foot,” Nicky told Spice4Life magazine. She even managed to play tennis with her peers by holding the racket between her shoulder and chin.

“Independence had always been important to me growing up with a physical disability and it was interesting to see how an emotional rather than physical challenge could have such an impact on your daily functioning,” Nicky says.

This realization is what inspired the Milnerton resident to go into the field of psychology and today she believes it gives her a certain amount of ‘credibility’ when working with clients who are in the process of adjusting to their own physical disability, injury or chronic medical condition.

“Many clients I have seen in the acute phase of their injury have given me feedback that it was motivating to see their Psychologist also had a disability- many had the idea that if you were disabled, you could not work,” Nicky says.

Apart from Nicky’s extensive accomplishments as a motivational speaker and part-time lecturer, it could be said that her prized possession is the specially adapted car that allows her to drive, even without arms.

The car was kindly given to Nicky by a woman in the UK who had a similar disability, and after some personal alterations had been made, Nicky went for basic driving lessons and then proceeded to surprise everyone by passing her driver’s license.

“I remember driving away from the Stellenbosch traffic department, on my own in my car for the very first time. I drove past the Psychology Department where my fellow Masters students were hard at work and I hooted with glee! It sounds clichéd, but I felt so free!” she says.

Today, Nicky’s 1995 Honda Civic has reached extensive mileage and serious dilapidation, forcing her to start looking for a replacement car which is impossible to have made in South Africa, as the required technology is unavailable.

“The reality is that to replace my car will be an incredibly expensive task. While it seems buying a new car and hiring an (able-bodied) driver would be a cheaper option, this would be defeating all my hard work of striving to lead an independent lifestyle,” she explains.

In an effort to raise funds, Nicky wanted to do more than just acquire money for her own car “I wanted to help others with disabilities to experience the independence and absolute freedom that driving my own adapted car gave me” Nicky says.

Nicky is now in the process of registering her own non-profit organization called ‘Nicky’s Drive’ in order to help fellow disabled people to fund car adaptations, whether locally or internationally.

“My car certainly attracts a great deal of attention. Whenever I step in or out of my car, onlookers are astounded. I never feel offended by this as it is rather incredible that a person can drive a car without arms!” Nicky says.

This is the sense of independence and pride that Nicky wishes to make available to other people with disabilities, proving that being disabled doesn’t mean unable.

“When everyone learnt to write with their hand, I used what was available to me, my foot.”

Share this post