Page 16 - Education Supplement August 2025

THE LEARNER’S LICENSE BARRIER

and what no one talks about

emember the excitement of turning 17? For many of us, that learner’s But when access to mobility is locked
license was our first taste of freedom. Learning to drive in the ‘90s was behind a system that doesn’t recognise
Ra rite of passage — slightly terrifying, yes, especially with minibus taxis your way of learning, freedom becomes
treating lanes as suggestions — but still something we looked forward to. We a privilege — not a right.
studied the K53 book, practiced hill starts in quiet cul-de-sacs, and couldn’t
wait to be trusted with a steering wheel and a sense of direction (or at least a And we’re not alone.
printed map in the glove compartment).
All over the country, neurodivergent
The learner’s license was just a little piece of paper — but it put you on the path teens and young adults — bright,
to that extra page in your green ID book. That official stamp, that photo that capable, responsible — are stuck in the
made you look slightly startled… it felt so neat. Like you’d finally made it. You same place. Some are autistic. Some
were a grown-up. live with severe anxiety. Some have
ADHD or dyslexia, or all of the above.
So it’s a strange thing — a hard thing — to now have a son who’s 21, desperate Some are brilliant visual learners who
for those very same things, but still stuck at that first gate. Not because he isn’t can memorise a route after driving it
ready to learn. Not because he wouldn’t make a thoughtful, safe, responsible once, but can’t hold a paragraph of test
driver. But because the test — the very first hurdle — was never designed for a instructions in working memory. What
brain like his. they have in common is that they could
drive. They should be allowed to try. But
James is profoundly gifted, with ADHD and one of the most severe forms of the first step was never built for them.
dyslexia ever recorded in South Africa. His mind is agile, curious, and capable
of extraordinary things. But when it comes to preparing for the learner’s license, ABOUT THE AUTHOR
he hits a wall — not due to lack of effort, but because the system assumes that Nicola Killops is an education specialist,
everyone learns in the same way. neurodiversity advocate, and co-
founder of Render-Killops, a foresight
He was once granted an oral version of the test, which sounds like inclusion. initiative exploring how AI and human
But in reality, the material is still dense, abstract, and structured around recall, connection can transform learning. She
not understanding. There are no visual scaffolds. No accessible formats. has spent two decades working with
No allowance for how someone like him — someone who gifted and twice-exceptional learners
can understand the rules of the road deeply and — including her own complex and
meaningfully — might get there differently. extraordinary young adult son. Nicola
writes at the intersection of policy,
And this is where everything stalls. parenting, and possibility, always
with her feet on the ground and her
The practical driving test — the part where someone heart in the fight.
observes you in real time, on the road, responding to
actual conditions — that will probably be the easier
part for him. That part makes sense. But to even reach
it, he first has to pass a test that, for him, is a maze of
inaccessible logic and outdated assumptions.

So here we are.

A young adult with a brilliant mind and a
growing sense of entrapment — desperate
to expand his independence, but stuck
relying on Uber (which gets expensive),
or on parents who are working
full-time and can’t always drop
everything to drive.

He wants to attend classes. Meet
friends. Run errands. Just be
young. Just live.

Education | August 2025 | 14