As a part of the Qatar National Research Fund research project on autism and driving in Qatar, a training workshop was delivered by the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Centre at Qatar University in collaboration with Transportation Research Institute at Hasselt University at Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School recently. Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and Alshafallah Center are main partners in this project. Karwa Driving School co-sponsored the two-day workshop as part of its commitment to enhance the driver education and licensing process to meet the needs of the community with the different psychological and mental capabilities.
The workshop aimed to provide evidence-based practical techniques to driving instructors in Karwa Driving School to help them tailor and adapt their driving lessons to the needs of high functioning autistic persons.
A Mowasalat statement explained that the workshop addressed many issues about autism, characteristics of a person with high functioning autism, autism, and driving. Thirty senior driving instructors from Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School participated in the exercise.
Dr. Wael Alhajyaseen, associate professor from Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center and the principal leader of the project; Wondwesen Mamo, a senior research assistant from Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, and Hélène Dirix, a researcher from Hasselt University (Belgium), were the resource persons.
Dr Al-Hajyaseen said it is not always easy for high functioning autistic individuals to learn how to drive and obtain a driver's license; and not easy for those (e.g., instructor) involved in the driver education process to deal with their needs. A possible explanation is that certain characteristics linked to autism may interfere with learning to drive. For example, autistic learner drivers report a lot of stress and anxiety when learning to drive, which may also negatively impact the learning process and obtaining a driver's license. In this regard, it’s important to train driving instructors to tailor their lessons to the needs of high functioning autistic persons. The workshop is expected to encourage more people with high functioning autism to obtain a driving license, enhancing their level of autonomy in mobility and decreasing their dependency on others and improve their quality of life.
The resource person said the driving instructors trained from the workshop are equipped with the required knowledge and tools to deliver the same workshop to their colleagues within Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School.
Faisal al-Naimi, Karwa Driving School director, said that it’s important for Karwa to cater to the needs of the entire society in Qatar and promote the inclusion of persons with special challenges. "With this programme, we can bring them a step closer to independence while ensuring safe driving behaviour. I am proud that our trainers show such an enthusiasm to constantly educate themselves – we see this as our most important contribution to traffic safety in the country,” he said.
Karwa Driving School (KDS) started its services in 2004. It was accredited by the City & Guilds UK and obtained ISO 9001:2008 certification for high quality standards. In addition, KDS has obtained a number of international quality and competence certificates and is a prominent member in many international driving organizations, most notably the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
A Mowasalat statement explained that the workshop addressed many issues about autism, characteristics of a person with high functioning autism, autism, and driving. Thirty senior driving instructors from Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School participated in the exercise.
Dr. Wael Alhajyaseen, associate professor from Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center and the principal leader of the project; Wondwesen Mamo, a senior research assistant from Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, and Hélène Dirix, a researcher from Hasselt University (Belgium), were the resource persons.
Dr Al-Hajyaseen said it is not always easy for high functioning autistic individuals to learn how to drive and obtain a driver's license; and not easy for those (e.g., instructor) involved in the driver education process to deal with their needs. A possible explanation is that certain characteristics linked to autism may interfere with learning to drive. For example, autistic learner drivers report a lot of stress and anxiety when learning to drive, which may also negatively impact the learning process and obtaining a driver's license. In this regard, it’s important to train driving instructors to tailor their lessons to the needs of high functioning autistic persons. The workshop is expected to encourage more people with high functioning autism to obtain a driving license, enhancing their level of autonomy in mobility and decreasing their dependency on others and improve their quality of life.
The resource person said the driving instructors trained from the workshop are equipped with the required knowledge and tools to deliver the same workshop to their colleagues within Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School.
Faisal al-Naimi, Karwa Driving School director, said that it’s important for Karwa to cater to the needs of the entire society in Qatar and promote the inclusion of persons with special challenges. "With this programme, we can bring them a step closer to independence while ensuring safe driving behaviour. I am proud that our trainers show such an enthusiasm to constantly educate themselves – we see this as our most important contribution to traffic safety in the country,” he said.
Karwa Driving School (KDS) started its services in 2004. It was accredited by the City & Guilds UK and obtained ISO 9001:2008 certification for high quality standards. In addition, KDS has obtained a number of international quality and competence certificates and is a prominent member in many international driving organizations, most notably the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
