UAE | Traffic and Transport

Man with double-leg disability hits the road

27-year-old who passed test on second attempt says driving licence enables him to be fully independent

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
  • Published: 22:54 July 5, 2009
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Malek Yousuf Iqbal's dream to drive in Dubai came true on Sunday after he got his driving licence on his second attempt.

Iqbal, who has a permanent disability in both legs, is the first such driver to receive formal driving training from the Emirates Driving Institute (EDI) which is also the first driving school in the UAE to offer driving lessons to people with a disability in both legs. Earlier, driving institutes offered training only to people with a one leg disability.

"I am so happy to drive around in the city today," Iqbal told Gulf News.

He said that he had already bought a modified car with the permission of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

"I am fully independent to move around now. I don't have to depend on my friends and do not have to go through the agonising wait to get taxis," he said.

Fatima Raees, EDI Marketing Manager said that they were the first to introduce this new service for people with special needs as part of the EDI's corporate social responsibility agenda.

"We have got two more students with a double-leg disability and they are trained by a specially trained driving instructor," she added.

"I am glad that I am the first in the UAE to have formal driving training. I was also the first to get such a driving licence in Islamabad in 2006," said Iqbal, whose legs were weakened by a post-polio syndrome when he was seven months old.

Iqbal, 27, who works as a manager for finance and collections at a local company, wants to have a driving licence because he faces mobility problems.

"My ability to drive around will change my life and help me do my job even better," he said.

Earlier, Peter Richardson, EDI general manager for technical and operations, told Gulf News that rehabilitation facilities were extremely scarce at present.

"Driving is recognised by medical staff as a major rehabilitation opportunity especially for people who were driving but got some form of disability due to some accident," he said.

He said that a driving licence brings with it independence, self-esteem and a great opportunity to actively participate in the society in which a person lives.

"There are many talented people who could make a wonderful contribution to the future of Dubai but lack the motivation because of mobility," he said.

"They want to come back on the road to [the] active part of society."

The EDI has two modified cars, a specially trained instructor and has even provided training to the RTA examiners to introduce the new facility, he said.

Richardson said that people with special needs get the same level of training and have to pass the same examinations to get a driving licence.

They do not get any special treatment because they have to be completely trained to be on the road.

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