Driving ambition

Reporter: by RICHARD HOOTON
Date published: 18 February 2009


A DETERMINED dad-of-three who fought a catalogue of disabilities to qualify as a driving instructor is now on the road to helping others.

Wayne Gresty (31) suffers from curvature of the spine, water on the brain, spondylitis, sciatica, arthritis and gout.

But incredibly, he is now looking forward to his first-ever job after earning a trainee licence.

And he is going even further. Wayne, of Royton, is on course to gain a full licence to become an Independence Driving Centre (IDC) driving instructor.

He will become one of only a few across Greater Manchester who can teach disabled learners in a specially-adapted car.

He said: “I’ve now got a job and I’m working. I can’t put into words how that makes me feel.

“I’m happy that somebody, apart from my wife and family, actually believed in the idea as much as I did. It was like I’d struck gold. All I ever wanted was to be treated like everybody else. It has changed my life and hopefully I can change a few other people’s lives too.”

Wayne has been hailed an inspiration and a driving force in helping national employment charity Shaw Trust enable other disabled people to follow his lead.

The charity, which provides training and work opportunities to those who struggle to find and keep work because of disability, ill-health or social circumstances, has set up a new partnership with IDC, the company which taught him.

Shaw Trust area client services manager, Christine Howard, said: “There are a lot of people who would like to become driving instructors but think it’s not possible because of their physical disabilities. Wayne has proved otherwise.”

Sheer determination kept Wayne looking to find somebody to help him become an instructor for four years. He got in touch with Shaw Trust via the Oldham-based Highways to Opportunities project where he met Debra Brown, who now supports him through Shaw Trust’s delivery of the Pathways to Work programme.

Debra said Wayne is the perfect role model. She added: “He has an overwhelming capacity to overcome barriers. I am proud to have worked with him.”

To find out more about learning to drive with Wayne, call 0800-298 3012 or visit the IDC website at www.independencedrivingcentre.co.uk.