Learning to drive with a learning difficulty, disability and/or Autism

At DRIVE – Perth’s Driving School, we are passionate about teaching people of all abilities to become safe, confident and independent drivers. We pride ourselves on being a well-respected disability driving school.

Our instructors are especially suited to teaching people with learning difficulties and/or a disability and are patient and committed to teaching people to overcome any challenges that may arise on the way.

All driving schools boast that they have patient instructors, but unfortunately, this often isn’t the case, especially when it comes to disability and driving. Teaching people with learning difficulties can sometimes take a lot of patience and understanding and awareness of the difficulty or disability. It can often take a lot longer for the student to grasp a concept, especially as certain aspects of driving aren’t cut and dry. Situations can change and the student has to make decisions quickly. As a driving instructor, it is very important to realise that learning these skills can be quite challenging and therefore may take more time, patience and understanding. It is often not always outwardly apparent that the student has a disability.

What to expect

We guide students through their lessons at a pace they feel comfortable with, whilst building confidence and skills.

We won’t throw someone in at the deep end, this only puts the student under stress which isn’t conducive to learning at all. Every student is taught at a rate to suit their skill. If they can’t grasp a concept we will break it down into manageable steps until they reach the desired level. Enjoying driving lessons is integral to learning and building confidence.

Unique lesson plans

We use structured lesson plans and select content to the students’ specific ability. This ensures they cover everything required to become a skilful, safe and confident driver. We track the students progress digitally so the instructor knows exactly how they are progressing.

Digital teaching aids

We use digital teaching aids that explain things visually to help give a clearer explanation of the techniques being taught. These teaching aids work to help overcome any limitations with communication and are highly beneficial for students who are visual thinkers/learners. See the example below.

Dual controlled vehicles

All our vehicles are fitted with dual controls to ensure maximum safety at all times. These dual controls offer our students the ability to take full control of the decision-making process, facilitating accelerated learning, whilst feeling assured our professional, highly skilled instructors are able to maintain safety at all times.