What is Get My L's and why it's not a driving course

Linda Jane
2 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

For people with autism, anxiety, or psychosocial disability, a learner licence is a gateway to employment and independence, but the mainstream pathway actively fails them. Here's how Changing Gears Get My L's program fills that gap under 09_008_0116_6_3.

Getting a learner's permit sounds simple. Study the road rules, sit the test, and walk out with your L's. For most people, that's exactly how it works.

But for a young person with autism, or someone managing high anxiety or a psychosocial disability, that process can feel like an impossible maze of unfamiliar environments,

time pressure, complex written language, sensory overload, and a system that simply wasn't designed with them in mind. And if they can't get their L's, they can't get their licence. And if they can't get their licence, the ripple effects on employment, independence, and community connection can last for years.

That's the gap Get My L's exists to close.

So What Exactly Is Get My L's?

Get My L's is not a driving course. It's important to be clear about that from the start.

Get My L's is a disability-adapted permit preparation program.

This structured, individually tailored support helps NDIS participants build the skills, confidence, and knowledge they need to sit and pass the VicRoads Learner Permit Knowledge Test (LPKT).

Delivered by Changing Gears under NDIS Support Item: 09_008_0116_6_3 (Community Participation Innovation), the program sits within Capacity Building Support Coordination funding. It's not funded through transport, and it's not about sitting in a car. It's about building the cognitive and functional foundations that make the test — and everything beyond it — achievable.

Why Mainstream Preparation Doesn't Work for This Cohort

VicRoads provides a standard study guide and an online practice test. For a neurotypical learner with average reading comprehension and low test anxiety, that's sufficient.

For someone with autism, ADHD, or a psychosocial disability, it often isn't — and here's why:

The language is dense and assumes baseline literacy skills. Road rule questions are frequently multi-layered and abstract. Processing them under time pressure, in a standardised test environment, is a significant barrier.
The test environment itself is a stressor. Unfamiliar locations, overhead lighting, other people nearby, a countdown timer — for someone with sensory sensitivities or high anxiety, these aren't minor inconveniences. They're often the reason the test fails before it begins.
There is no flexibility built in. Standard LPKT preparation doesn't offer adjusted pacing, repetition, visual learning supports, or a trusted person in the room. Participants are expected to self-direct their preparation, which is itself a skill many in this cohort are still developing.

The result? Capable people who are ready to drive are failing a test — not because they lack road knowledge, but because the pathway wasn't built for how they learn.

What Disability-Adapted Delivery Actually Looks Like

Get My L's works differently. Delivery is structured around the individual's learning profile, communication style, and anxiety triggers — not around a one-size timetable.

Sessions are conducted in familiar, low-stimulation environments — often the participant's home or a community setting where they already feel safe. Content is broken into manageable chunks, reinforced across multiple sessions, and supported with visual aids and plain-language explanations.

Importantly, the program doesn't just build test knowledge — it builds functional skills that extend well beyond the permit itself:

Anxiety reduction and emotional regulation in unfamiliar, high-stakes situations
Decision-making under pressure — a transferable life skill with applications in employment, health appointments, and community participation
Community navigation — understanding transport environments, reading signage, and managing the practical demands of getting around independently
Self-advocacy — knowing what supports they're entitled to request and how to ask for them

These outcomes align directly with NDIS goals around independence, social participation, and employment readiness.

Who Is This Program For?

Get My L's is designed for NDIS participants who:

Have a diagnosis of autism, anxiety disorder, psychosocial disability, or an intellectual disability.
Have a current NDIS plan with Capacity Building — Support Coordination funding (09_008_0116_6_3)
Are aged 16 or older and want to work toward obtaining a learner's permit
Have been unable to succeed with standard self-directed study approaches

It is especially well-suited for participants whose NDIS goals reference employment pathways, independent travel, or increased community participation — because a licence is often the practical key that unlocks all three.

What to Do Next

If you're a Support Coordinator or Plan Manager working with a participant for whom a learner permit would meaningfully progress their independence or employment goals, Changing Gears would love to hear from you.

We can provide a detailed program overview, discuss how Get My L's fits within a participant's current plan, and talk through what delivery looks like for your specific client.

[Make a Referral — Contact Changing Gears Today]

Supporting NDIS participants across Victoria