DOCUMENT

8 | THE REVIEW MAY-AUG 2022 Getting behind the wheel is “a good feeling” The ability to drive places has brought freedom and spontaneity into Grace Lee’s life – but getting her licence wasn’t without its challenges. By MELANIE LOUDEN In many ways, Grace Lee is your typical young adult. She’s completed high school, attended university, gone flatting, participated in cultural performances and sports, and holds down a job she enjoys. However, unlike most young adults, Grace had to jump through a fair few extra hoops to get her driver’s licence, and her first car. The 26-year-old was born four months premature and was diagnosed with Congenital Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegia which affects her balance. “I can walk unaided, but balance is an issue. One foot turns in when I walk. And my fine motor skills can be an issue,” says the determined and fiercely independent South-Aucklander. Grace works at First Security as a Communications Operator where she checks on the welfare of guards and dispatches alarm jobs. She is a self-declared foodie – she loves a good pasta - and Spending time with her friends is an important part of Grace Lee’s life.