I had a friend that was quadriplegic and could use his hands to an extent but couldn't have done things like hold a brush and comb his hair. It is about fine motor skills and dexterity.
His use of his hands is very limited. You can definitely see that in the scene where he tries to flip off Rudd's character but can't actually extend his finger. There's also the recurring joke that he can't grip his penis when trying to pee.
He can do some gross motor stuff (like gripping the beef jerky with his whole hand), but other things would be very challenging.
Also, the whole body coordination/balance involved in things like putting on clothing or getting from a wheelchair onto a toilet is more involved than you might think at first. And think about how dangerous it would be to risk a fall onto a hard bathroom floor every time you went to use the toilet.
I do think that as he gets more confident and interested in the world he might start to test his own limits a little more. When we meet him in the movie he's feeling pretty defeated.
Could you be more dopey?
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