Kieran Cuthbert is Scotland's first deaf BSL driving instructor

Keiran Cuthbert, 26, achieved the feat earlier this month, after passing his final test on route to becoming fully qualified.

It has been quite the journey to get to this stage - and he took the time to tell the Herald all about it.

Keiran, who is originally from Blantyre, was born with his hearing fully functioning - but was left profoundly deaf after contracting meningitis when he was just six months old.

He said: "I grew up with a hearing family and went to mainstream schools my full life.

"We had faced a lot of challenges and barriers throughout my life, and my mother, Vicky, was always by me and supported me through everything - especially when it came to my deafness.

"My entire family have great deaf awareness, and were always understanding, whenever I had issues with hearing aids or large family gatherings which took me a while to adjust to."

As he grew older, at around 10 years old, Keiran then began to learn the basics of BSL.

However, he did not develop a fuller understanding of the language until around four years ago, when he met his partner Erin - who is also deaf.

Keiran explained: "Erin has been extremely supportive and patient as I was learning BSL.

"My first language is English, whilst BSL is my second language. However, my preferred language is BSL as I feel a lot more confident and I can express myself a lot more.

"I know I would have learned BSL when I was much younger, however, the doctors advised my mum that I should not learn BSL as it would cause a lot of problems.

"I know that is something that my family regrets listening to."

And it was not just learning BSL which Keiran said Erin helped inspire him to do - adding that it was her experiences which encouraged him to pursue his now career.

He said: "The reason I decided to become a driving instructor was actually because of the experience that Erin went through whilst searching for a BSL instructor.

"She could not find anyone for four years, and after countless rejections, it started to frustrate me.

"She should not have to go through this to get the freedom of driving that everyone deserves a fair chance at.

"But for deaf people in Scotland, this chance is extremely low and I knew that I had to do something about it.

"Erin's mother, Angela, was the one who said 'why don't I become a driving instructor?'

"I already have the BSL knowledge and I have always enjoyed driving, so it would be a fantastic career choice."

That's when Keiran's quest to become a fully qualified driving instructor began - but it was not an easy road.

To qualify as an instructor, he had to complete three tests - first theory and then practical, though to a much higher standard than those who are simply learning to drive.

The theory test had 100 questions, split into four sections of 25, rather than the standard 50.

For the practical driving test, Kieran was only allowed six 'minor' failings before failing altogether - unlike the standard practical, where a learner can pass after up to 15 'minors'.

Kieran passed both - but it was far from straightforward.

"This process for me was extremely challenging," he said, "especially since I did part one and part two with a big driving school who rarely supported me - and they never had much deaf awareness.

"I did the majority of the work myself with no help."

The third part of the test was the hardest of all - where an examiner sits in the back seat while the candidate conducts a normal lesson with a student of their choice.

The examiners mark the quality of the candidate's teaching - and this element has a pass rate of only around 20 per cent.

Unhappy at the level of support he'd received from the national driving school with whom he'd sat parts one and two, Kieran turned his gaze closer to home - to the Tricia Moir School of Motoring in Irvine, and particularly to Tricia herself and her colleague Jamie Easton, both of whom are fully qualified to teach driving instructors through ORDIT (the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training).

"Both Jamie and Tricia were completely understanding and kept me on track," Kieran said.

"The training that I received from Jamie - as he was the one that trained me for my part three test - was extremely high quality.

"You can say I was 'Tricia trained'."

Kieran passed his final test - even though Tricia had never trained a deaf instructor before - and is now fully qualified.

"Being the first deaf BSL driving instructor in Scotland is such a surreal feeling," he said.

"This can change the life of many deaf people, and it will most certainly change my life as well.

"The reaction from my friends and family has been overwhelming.

"They always said that I would do it, even when there was times I never believed in myself.

"But I do know that Erin was also extremely happy for me as she saw me struggle on a daily basis from day one."

Kieran also thanked his and Erin's family and friends as well as paying tribute to Jamie and Tricia.

"I owe both of these lovely people a lot for the fact that they made this journey extremely enjoyable," he said.

Now that he is fully qualified, Kieran says he wants to help both hearing and deaf people learn to drive - and plans to work with Tricia and her team on sessions for deaf awareness and on basic BSL.

"I also aim to help other people who were once in my position and also who are deaf," he added.

"I really do hope that this would encourage and inspire others who are in a similar position to me, because this is a fantastic career to be in, and also a very rewarding job.

"I am only one person, and there is a lot of deaf people out there who want to learn how to drive, it would take me a long time to train every single one of them, but I will give it my best shot."

People interested in learning with Keiran can get in touch with him via Twitter - @KieranC_ADI - or via Facebook or through Tricia Moir School of Motoring.

He will mostly be working around North Ayrshire - particularly Kilbirnie, Dalry, Beith, Saltcoats and Ardrossan - but says that if needed he'll consider spending a day in cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh teaching deaf learners there.