Acceptability of the process of obtaining a driver's license by young people with and without disabilities

Abstract

Context and objective. Although there are more than 600 driving schools in Quebec (Canada), only one offers fully adapted services to young people with disabilities. To ensure that these services correspond to best practices in the field, they must be aligned with scientific knowledge and the opinions of experts and users regarding driver’s education. This literature review fills a gap concerning the opinions and expectations of young people with and without disabilities and their parents.Methodology. A search of publications in CINAHL, PubMED, ERIC, Social Sciences Full Text, Ergonomics Abstracts, Academic Search Premier, Web of Science, PsychInfo and Current Contents Connect was done on November 2, 2017, with 118 keywords, and another search was conducted on November 8, 2017, in Sociological Abstracts with 68 keywords. After selection, 25 articles were analyzed.Results. Most youths report that the process of obtaining a driver’s license is stressful, anxiety-provoking and sometimes too expensive to initiate at the minimum legal age (16 years in Quebec). Youths with disabilities say that they do not have adequate information on how the process works. They appear to feel less self-efficacy than their peers without disabilities and to have more difficulties with theoretical and practical learning. Nevertheless, obtaining a license conforms with most young people’s values, whether or not they have a disability.Conclusions. Adapted driving schools, and particularly their instructors, need more knowledge of users’ expectations. The results justify the importance of improving and developing more adapted driver’s education for young people with disabilities, ultimately promoting equitable access to the process of obtaining a license.