We consider a drivers license a privilege however, it’s deeply embedded in our culture, urban planning and employer attitudes.
We hear of people loosing access to a driver license for bad behaviour, however the visually impaired or anyone with a disability impacting their capacity to drive also faces the same consequences.
They aren’t a hoon, nor a criminal but are impacted by this limitation.
As a parent you can say 'It’s okay I drive them everywhere", or “they will have access to public transportation” but what about when they turn 18, they are expected to adhere to the expectations of an adult. Will they want you driving them everywhere or might they like to have freedom and not rely on you?
I’d love to hear from young adults with Nystagmus, who are out in the real world, interacting with employers and real world scenarios?
I have never been able to drive, age 67 now, but as I live in a city, you just have to learn the public transport system,
obviously some work is more difficult if you do not have your own transport But it hasn’t affected my career as an accountant
In the last 20 years I have worked from a from an office attached to my house. I have also used the UK access to work service to obtain various helps for travelling to Clients, training and meetings
There’s certainly jobs that require applicants to hold a drivers license which can limit somebody’s options for employment. I think it’s also important to consider this when choosing a career. For me most of the time I can get to where I want to go with public transport and if not I’ll usually Uber or something along those lines and if your nystagmus is bad enough to be unable to drive you should be eligible for some level or mobility allowance.
There’s people out there with nystagmus who do drive using bioptic glasses so for some people that could be an option but would require a fair investment of time and money. For me and my personal circumstances I haven’t bothered with this.
So due to not being able to drive that can take some options off the table. For part time jobs at entry level it can be hard so I’d suggest anyone with nystagmus aims for a career where driving isn’t a requirement of the job unless you’re eligible and willing to drive with bioptic glasses.
Hi Matt, I think that for everyone who has nystagmus with significant vision reduction as a consequence when they reach the age of age they are faced with the maximum realization of this vision limitation, which is not being able to obtain a driving license. I know this is deadly for a young man or woman. Really depending on where you live and the culture, in a way, you are charged to drive. As an adult I am nowadays I can accept and understand that I cannot drive for my safety and that of those around me, it is a fact, but getting here is not easy, many years of therapy and acceptance.
Thanks for your insights and welcome to the community. I recognise the safety aspect of driving, and happy to stay away from the drivers seat as I’d never want to hurt another person.
However, not quite sure whats its like in your area but Aussies are quite often expected to hold a drivers liscense for alot of jobs. I had this issue once when an employer was more hung up on the idea that I didn;t have one.
I understand, here too, depending on your job, you may be required to have a driving license, but it is not very common. Here in Brazil, they reserve 5% of job vacancies when they hold a federal competition for people with special needs, in my case, I participated in one of these selections and got an excellent job to work in the local labor justice, I was a lawyer before, but now I work as a government employee, this job is forever, I’m going to retire in it, I don’t know how the public sector vacancy policy works there in Australia. In your country, do you have any policies for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market or in the public area?
I am 25, and can drive with Nystagmus. Being born with Nystagmus, I remember my doctors telling my mother and I that I will never be able to do anything that I am capable of now. I was 8 when my doctor told me I’d never learn to drive. And being a 8 year old girl, at a pivotal moment in life I was determined to learn.
I had to go through rigorous amounts of tests and restrictions and classes in order to drive. And I drive very well, but have learned since I was 16 that when my eyes go crazy, or shake worse than normal, I have to pull off the road to calm them down. This really only happens when someone either cuts me off or almost hits me (stressful situations trigger my eyes to shake faster).
I would love to start my own post/discussion to discuss my philosophy in my dream career. I consider myself a visually impaired artist and have founded the #Nystagmusart on Instagram! I believe this is a gift to experience the world in such a rare way! But have also found that it is difficult to get a job with the condition. Not that employers are discriminatory, but because the roles of the job are hard to comply with as a visually impaired person.
A huge welcome and thanks for your contributions to the community. We’d love to hear anything you have to share, and you are more than welcome to create topics and threads in this forum.
The more information we can share, the more parents have at their disposal and other fellow wobbily eyed friends.
