Belinda O’Connor has achromatopsia, an eyesight condition which affects her ability to see colours and have clear vision. Growing up she faced challenges accessing education and the workplace as a person with a disability, and she never thought she would be able to drive.

When Belinda discovered bioptic driving, a method for people with low vision to drive, a whole new world opened up for her. Through research and consultations with experts in Australia, she went through a series of assessments, driving lessons, and tests to obtain her license, and has been driving now for seven years.

Belinda and Lisa discussed Belinda's experience with using a bioptic device for driving and the importance of exploring options for people with different types of vision impairments to be able to drive safely.

Belinda is now known for her advocacy work for the formalization of bioptic driving in Australia, including the supply and demand side of the ecosystem, the role of various professionals, and the 2016 review of the Assessing Fitness to Drive Guidelines.

As we go to air, Belinda is on an overseas trip to investigate success factors and barriers for low vision and bioptic driving in Canada, USA, and the Netherlands, and to understand the unique circumstances of each jurisdiction.

As part of her Churchill Fellowship she will bring this knowledge back to Australia to improve and normalise low vision and biotic driving.

Want to know more? Join the  Bioptic Drivers Australia Facebook group

Check out this blog on bioptic driving

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Combining a big picture, balanced approach with real-world experience, we help organisations understand their diversity and inclusion shortcomings – and identify practical, measurable actions to move them forward.

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