A Man who was born without one of his arms has recently qualified as a Driving Instructor… of a MANUAL car!
Local news outlet Telegraph & Argus recently reported that a Yorkshire man who was born without one of his arms has defied the odds and qualified as a Driving Instructor Khuram Iqbal, 31, from Heaton is hoping to inspire others with his story having lived the entirety of his life with a prosthetic limb where his lower left arm should be. He has one simple message to share – “never give up.”
Mr Iqbal reportedly spent much of his childhood asking why he was different to his friends. However, there are no signs that his disability has held him back as an adult, with Mr Iqbal having completed a law degree in 2008, founded his own estate agency in 2014 and now – in what he regards as his biggest achievement to date – he has qualified as a Driving Instructor.
Khuram, who also works as a sales advisor for Sky in Leeds city centre, said: “I have always been passionate about cars and have always wanted to drive and own a car. “Due to my condition, not having my lower left arm, I knew for definite driving a manual car would definitely be a ‘no no’ and out of the question and it would have to be an automatic I would learn in and
drive all my life.
“I had a clear mindset fixed where I wasn’t going to consider driving a manual at all, until I told my mother ‘I’m thinking of learning to drive but automatic’.”
His Mother’s response to this news was something that proved to significantly shape Khuram’s future. She told him automatic was out of the question and he would learn to drive in a manual car.
“I was shocked to hear that thinking,” he said. “How can I change gears with my left hand?” Khuram said: “She replied ‘just try and try harder but don’t give up – you can’t say no without trying.”
And so using a prosthetic limb, Khuram went on to pass his driving test the first time around.
Now, a decade later, the father-of-two is not only a capable driver but also capable of teaching others to drive a manual vehicle.
“A person who had no hope of driving a manual, couldn’t even think about changing gears is now sat in the passenger seat teaching other people how to drive a manual car”, he said adding that “it’s a really motivational thing for me.”
Asked if he had a message for others, Khuram said: “Never lose hope. The worst thing you can do is lose hope and underestimate yourself.
“There might be somebody whose reading it, who might be in my situation, who is sat at home thinking ‘I can’t do that’ and maybe feel encouraged.”
Have you ever considered a career as a Driving Instructor? Never quite pushed yourself to take the plunge? If so, now is the time to act. If you are looking for job satisfaction, flexible working hours and the opportunity to be your own boss then a career as a Driving Instructor might just be for you. To find out more about how to make this career a change a reality, head over to
myfourwheels.co.uk today and take your first steps on the road to becoming a driving instructor!
