Improving Road Safety

I was born developmentally/cognitive delayed which was caused by a diminutive pituitary gland, short corpus callosum, and delayed myelination in my brain.

Because of my delay, my mom did not want me driving when I was 15 ½ to get my temps. She said I needed a little more maturity and I had to prove I could be responsible. So a year later we started working on studying the driver’s manual for the State of Ohio and I tried again to again to get my temps. But I was unsuccessful. At one point, I did not think I was ever going to get my license. Thankfully, I was connected with a great organization called Capabilities. Through Capabilities, I was able to work with a driver’s counselor who helped me understand the questions asked during the temp test. Because it was during a lot of covid restrictions, I met with my counselor through Zoom. This was helpful because it allowed me to attend more classes without my mom having to drive me to the other side of the city. Guess what?? After a year of trying to pass the temporary driver’s test, I passed the test and I received my temps!! What a moment. After getting my temps, I attended my teen driver’s education course with other cognitive delayed students. This was also on Zoom, so I met students from all over the state. After passing my final test, it was onto driving. I love driving and am so grateful for my driving instructors. Once I passed the driver’s portion it was on to the big final test. I got my driver’s license on my mom’s birthday in 2022. She told me it was the best birthday present because she no longer had to drive me to soccer practice!! The best way I know how to not be a distracted driver is when I am in the car, I always set my GPS before I leave to make sure I get to where I need to go. I set my GPS even if I know where I am going, just as a backup in case I get confused about my location.

I believe the biggest way to improve road safety is through education. Mainly driver’s education classes, not just for minors, but for adults. Too many adults are out on the road driving and they do not pay attention or even know the driving laws. Driver’s educations also instills safe driving habits that last a lifetime. Simple things such as wearing a seatbelt, defensive driving and avoiding aggressive driving are reiterated during driving training.

Twice driving today, cars passed me without turn signals and of course the drivers were driving too fast. I also believe that driver’s education is important in reducing the number of deaths because with taking that class, a driver simply doesn’t know what laws are active and who has the right of way. I would not be driving if it were not for my driver’s education class.

Drivers need to also understand the seriousness of drunk driving and texting while driving. I live in Ohio, and one way my state has tried to improve road safety is passing a no cell phone use while driving law. Too many times I have seen driver’s talking on their phone or worse looking at their phone while driving. I believe this is a great first step in try to reduce the deadly habit of cell phone use while driving. Since this law was enacted I have noticed an increase in awareness of cell phone use.

So, you ask yourself, why would someone who is intellectually disabled need a college scholarship? Well, even though I have an intellectual disability, I am not disabled. I like to call myself differently abled. I am currently a freshman student at The Ohio State University through their Transitions Options in Postsecondary Settings (“TOPS”) Program. The TOPS program is a Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary program whose purpose is to develop, expand and improve inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disabilities such as myself. Once I am certified through the TOPS program, I plan on working towards obtaining a bachelor’s degree. I have always been interested in sports, especially soccer, so my ultimate goal is to earn a degree in the field of recreational/sports facility management. With my degree I hope to help other kids and adults like me either through working with my local county Board of Developmental Delay or working with a sports team in their facility.

I hope to become an inspirational success story for other students who are intellectually disabled. I hope they can learn from my experience in knowing that any student in special education can attend college.