Autism is a developmental disorder that often significantly impacts speech and conversation, making it hard for those with ASD to interact with the world around them.
For one Las Vegas man, a new driver’s license bill could make an enormous difference in his life. 27-year-old Allum has autism spectrum disorder and says having access to a driver’s license would be “life-changing.”
Speech Difficulty in autistic
He elaborates that the previous year, he had been pulled over by a police officer & he could not talk to the police officer because of his speech difficulty. “When I get into a stressful situation like these, it’s tough for me to talk,” Allum said.
After that Incident, Allum’s mom started researching the Nevada DMV and later telephoned the state legislators to discuss allowing individuals with an autism spectrum disorder to have a driver’s license.
The Nevada Legislature is considering creating a special license for people with spectrum disorder. This license states that a person has unique needs, such as communication impairment.
According to Allum’s mom, this Bill has nothing to do with her. Still, it is about her son and all the other individuals with autism spectrum disorder, including parents who are impacted in similar ways.
DMV special license
Executive Director at ACLU of Nevada, Dr. Haseebullah, says that this Bill is a step forward in the right direction. He further notes that If the Bill is approved, the DMV will place a special designation on driver’s licenses for people with communication impairments.
This designation would be placed at the top of their vehicle registration to ensure that law enforcement and other medical professionals know about communication challenges. This will help provide individuals with autism spectrum disorder with greater access to services and understanding from the community.
The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said they already have programming in place to allow a special autism sticker to be added to driver’s licenses. However, the DMV noted that expanding this designation to include all communication impairments would be costly.
“It Would involve a lot of resources to expand this program to all communication impairment, but we are open to exploring the possibility,” said a spokesperson from the DMV. “We are always looking for ways to serve the residents of Nevada better.”
Bill approval Date
Allum and his family hope the Nevada Legislature approves the Bill, which would be a significant step forward for those with an autism spectrum disorder. He adds that he’ll attach all the details they need on their driver’s license sticker and hopes the Bill will pass.
Voting for the driver’s license bill is expected in the coming weeks & If approved, the Bill would go into effect in mid-2023, allowing people with an autism spectrum disorder access to a driver’s license for the first time.
