Driving instructors from across South Africa had the unique opportunity to have all their questions around driving with a disability answered during the Driving Ambitions training session held on Wednesday, March 30. The event was hosted by Caroline Rule, a qualified occupational therapist, from Rolling Rehab.
The driving instructors, many of whom have their own driving schools, gathered at the David Lewis Lodge in Edenvale. Also in attendance was former staff from traffic and licencing departments who shared their expertise in the licensing procedures.
During the training, driving instructors learned more about spinal cord injuries, adaptive driving control, setting up and positioning drivers who use hand controls, transferring in and out of a vehicle and much more. Instructors were also given the opportunity to practically implement their knowledge with some of the Driving Ambitions candidates.
“It was a great honour to meet and interact with a few of our potential partners,” notes Zandile Miya, QASA project coordinator who attended the training.
“The aim of this training is to ensure that QASA members can be assisted with obtaining their driver’s licence even if the QASA Driving Ambitions programme is not available in their respective area,” she continued.
“In addition, the training session gave QASA the opportunity to create new partnerships with other driving schools and expand the project into new areas,” Miya adds. “Finally, it gave us the opportunity to educate more people on the challenges facing people with disabilities, and the devices, such as hand controls, that can assist,” she concludes.