Bypassing the disability: learning experiences and coping strategies of young adults with dyscalculia in the driver's licensing process

Obtaining a driver's license is a critical milestone for independence in emerging adulthood, yet for individuals with dyscalculia, this process poses unique challenges that have been overlooked in research. This qualitative-interpretative study examines the learning experiences and compensatory mechanisms of 30 young adults (18 women and 12 men) diagnosed with dyscalculia who completed driver training. Thematic analysis revealed four central themes: (1) “Arithmetic of Danger”—experiences of disruption in spatial perception and reported cognitive collapse; (2) “Lost in Translation”—pedagogical and communicative gaps in the mediation of numerical information; (3) “Identity and Gender Management”—the impact of gendered disclosure norms on reporting styles and masking of the impairment among men; and (4) “Cognitive Bypass”—building resilience through the development of visual anchors and the use of “cognitive prostheses”. The findings offer thematic support for the hypothesis that the core of the impairment in a functional context lies in a deficit in magnitude estimation (ANS Deficit). The study proposes a model for functional rehabilitation rooted in the social model of disability and Universal Designfor Learning (UDL) principles, enabling the achievement of functional independence by bypassing the structural deficit and promoting cognitive accessibility within the licensing system.