A 20-year-old from South Australia is closer to achieving their dream of driving, thanks to a new driving simulator program. Kaitie Francis, who has mucopolysaccharidosis type 1 hurler syndrome and was legally blind from a young age, is one of 20 participants benefiting from this initiative offered by a regional disability support service provider.

Kaitie expressed the challenges they faced growing up. "My whole body is affected by the condition, and I am short-statured too, so I always knew driving a car would be hard because I am so short," they said. "I never had the same experience as other country kids, who could just drive around, because I was always told I would never be able to drive."

After undergoing a cornea transplant in 2022, Kaitie passed the written exam for a driver's license. However, the thought of getting behind the wheel caused significant anxiety. "I had never sat in the driver's seat of a car before, and it wasn't a great outcome at first. It actually put me off driving for a while," Kaitie recalled.

Dylan Blackley, director of Support & Connect, noted that many clients share similar fears about driving. "A lot of my clients told me driving was a daunting experience, and so I just really wanted to close that gap for them," he said. Blackley recognized the lack of resources in regional areas and sought to provide better access to driving education.

He discovered MyDriveSchool's simulator technology and decided to enhance the experience by acquiring a Ford Falcon ute, transforming it into a purpose-built simulator. "I have around 20 clients now who have gone on to get their Ls and they have said to me first-hand how much confidence they have gained from this," Blackley stated.

Kaitie was among the first to use the simulator and found it significantly improved their learning experience. "When I heard the simulator was in Berri, I thought, 'Yes! I don't have to take a whole day out of my week to go to Adelaide to access something like this for maybe an hour,'" they said. "The course has taken me from not knowing anything to knowing what to do in emergency scenarios that could actually happen in real life. It has made me really confident, and I don't think I'd be where I am now if I didn't use it."

Lisa Skaife, CEO of MyDriveSchool, developed the simulation technology in response to concerns about road trauma among Australian teenagers. She highlighted the program's effectiveness, noting that students who participated showed a 48% increase in driving competency and a 17% reduction in anxiety. "The cost and loss of young people's lives was too great, and the technology should be made accessible to all teenagers, no matter their ability," Skaife said.

Kaitie is now preparing to obtain their P-plates, a milestone they once thought impossible. "The three years it's taken me to get to where I am is mind-blowing with how much I have achieved," they said. "Knowing in three months I'll be driving alone kind of scares me, but it feels good knowing I'll be able to do things without relying on others."