Elina, 17 told us "If you want to start a heated debate, simply ask the question 'do blind people drive?'"
I expect people will give a huge variety of answers, don't you? For a long time it had been my ambition to be able to drive. Some had said it would be possible, whilst others had laughed, and expressed their fears that it wouldn't exactly be safe. But I'd witnessed many sighted people, (including my parents), driving, and the idea fascinated me.
It was because of this that on the 9th of May I went to Cheddar to finally learn to drive! Of course I was a bit nervous about how well I'd do, and I was glad I wasn't driving on a public road full of cars.
There were two cars and we were allowed to drive both. The first car I drove had been made like any other car, and I had to drive it through a set of cones. However, driving the second car wasn't so easy, because it had been made so that when you turned the steering wheel left, the car went right, and vice versa!
Before driving the first car, I was slightly anxious, and I accidentally put the clutch up too quickly, so that the engine instantly turned off! But on my second attempt, I was fine. I had an instructor sitting next to me, telling me the direction in which to turn the steering wheel. I drove slowly because I was quite cautious, but I kept a constant speed. In this first car, there were seats in the back, so the others in the back would often encourage the one driving.
Next came the second car with the unusual steering wheel. I must admit, my favourite car would have to be the second one. By the time I started driving the second car, I was not so nervous, so I tried using the accelerator, which was something I thoroughly enjoyed doing, and which shocked my parents!
On the whole, I managed to drive both cars, without crashing into any trees or walls, and without running over anything. Relief! The speeding movement of the car as I accelerated, the wind blowing my hair, and the knowledge that I was more or less in control of the engine and the movement of the car, were all factors that contributed to making this the experience of a lifetime, an experience which I wasn't likely to forget in a hurry, a dream.