New rules for disabled approved driving instructors have come into force, after the Deregulation Act 2015 received Royal Ascent in March.
The Act seeks to remove burdens on businesses and individuals, and in this case will bring about parity between disabled instructors and their non-disabled colleagues. The old category of disabled ADI will be removed, and instead everyone who qualifies will be known as an approved driving instructor (ADI).
This is just one of the measures designed to help people with disabilities as they seek to become qualified driving instructors. Other moves mean disabled trainee instructors will no longer have to take an additional test, known as the Emergency Control Assessment, in order to prove they can intervene in an emergency situation.
However, if the ADI Registrar believes there are valid reasons for the ECA to be taken, he can now require any instructor to do so, during qualification and their registration period. This is likely to be in very limited circumstances, or where the trainee instructor elects to take it themselves.
Other changes mean that disabled instructors will no longer be prevented from giving paid instruction in a vehicle which isn’t compatible with their qualification, therefore being allowed to teach full licence holders in a manual vehicle. This is not however the case for teaching novice learner drivers and disabled instructors will continue to be able to instruct only in an automatic vehicle, to this class of learner. The new rules will also allow those who hold automatic licences to become an ADI, which will create opportunities for more people to enter the profession.
The requirement to declare any disability for anyone applying to become a driving instructor will remain, as is the ADI Registrar’s right to revoke a trainee licence, or remove an ADI from the Register if they believe any of these conditions are not being met.
