TEXAS, USA — Imagine this: You're driving and suddenly see those red and blue lights behind you. You pull over to the side and get ready to talk to the officer who stopped you.
For many people, that's anxiety-inducing enough. But if you're living with a disability, there can be another level of stress added to the situation.
Texas has a program that aims to reduce some of that uneasiness for those who struggle to communicate.
The Texas Driving with Disability program helps identify those with communication impediments on their driver's license or state-issued ID. Those drivers are also identified through a system that would help officers understand a person's communication impediment before approaching their car.
There are two main groups of people who will qualify for this program:
- People whose disability impacts their processing speed. That includes individuals with autism, down syndrome, brain injuries, and other speech and language disorders.
- People who have a difference in the way they communicate, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
So how does it work?
If you want to place a code on the back of your Texas ID or driver's license, you'll need to have your doctor fill out a form and take it to the driver's license office.
If you want your information added to the law enforcement system to be identified before you interact with an officer, you'll have your doctor or psychologist fill out a different form to be presented when registering your car at the DMV.
Take care of yourselves, and if you know someone who could benefit from this program, let them know!
As always, if you have a traffic concern in your area, you can email us here.