Jilumol Mariet, according to the Kerala government, has become the first woman in Asia without arms to be issued a driver’s license for a car.
Jilumol Mariet, 32, a graphic designer who currently lives and works in Kochi, a major port city in southwestern India. She has been pursuing her dream of obtaining a driver’s license for several years, but her dream has been more difficult to achieve than for ordinary people.
Jilumol Mariet was born without arms and had to train her legs to become her hands. Therefore, getting a driver’s license is a significant achievement for her. She has always dreamed of being able to drive a car using her legs to visit her home in Idukki district, Kerala, India. However, the regulations and laws did not allow her to do so.
Five years ago, Jilumol’s driver’s license application was rejected by the authorities. However, she did not give up on her dream. Jilumol Mariet appealed to the State Disability Commission about her case. The commission recognized her case and requested the local government to find a solution. Subsequently, the Transport Department assigned the Motor Vehicles Office of Ernakulam district to study this case in detail and propose appropriate measures.
After studying the issue, the government proposed some changes to be made to the car, suitable for people with disabilities like Jilumol Mariet. However, no local company was able to make those modifications. Fortunately, a mechanical company in Kochi finally agreed to help Jilumol Mariet and they started working on improving the interior details of the 2018 Suzuki Celerio.
Now, the major controls of the car such as the accelerator, brake, and steering wheel can be operated by her feet. While minor features like audio and phone adjustments can be activated and deactivated using voice recognition. Additionally, the seating position in this Suzuki Celerio has been adjusted, raising Jilumol Mariet higher. The process of modifying this A-segment hatchback took about 1 year.
After all these changes were made, the authorities had to test and ensure that Jilumol Mariet can drive this car on the road. Jilumol Mariet then passed the initial driving test for learner drivers in March this year. In November, she passed the practical driving test in the Suzuki Celerio. After waiting for 6 long years, she finally obtained a driver’s license for a car and was also awarded by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
TT (Tuoitrethudo)
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