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• STEVE HOPWOOD is someone with disabilities who is determined to overcome adversity .
Page 35
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and make his way in the haulage industry. Hopwood, from Norwich, lost his right arm below the elbow and leg below the knee in a motorcycle accident 17 years ago. But when he applied for a provisional HGV licence this year, he was not rejected because of that disability, but short-sightedness.
Despite this, he continues to develop a business he set up last autumn doing runs for local hauliers with a Ford Transit he has had converted with money from the Access to Work scheme.
Hopwood, who also holds down a part-time control-centre jab, is still determined to became a truck driver but wants a potential employer to come up with the £1,000 he needs for specialist eye laser treatment to pass the eyesight requirements. In the meantime, he is determined to build up his courier and light haulage work through his business, Black Dog Trading. "I need help with everyday things like cooking my meals and getting into the bath," he says. "But driving is something I can do independent of anyone else. I don't want sympathy. I want empathy."