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BDN, low vision driving driver, drive, BiOptic, albinism, albino, macular disease, nystagmus, cataracts, corneal diseases, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, archived by, BIOPTIC DRIVING NETWORK
BDN, low vision driving driver, drive, BiOptic, albinism, albino, macular disease, nystagmus, cataracts, corneal diseases, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, archived by, BIOPTIC DRIVING NETWORK
Posted by Mike Williams on January 04, 2001 at 12:49:11 AM EST:
In Reply to: ABOUT ALABAMA -- SOMEONE PLEASE READ!!! posted by Brandon D. Hunt on January 03, 2001 at 12:12:59 AM EST:
Hi Brandon.
I have just read you posting and I am not surprised about what happened to you, what happened to is just one of a whole plethora of problems that BiOptic drivers face. For example, if you read the pasting by Betty Carley you will note that she has taken the road test for the seventh time and every time she has been given a different excuse for not being issued a drivers license, yet she appears to have had two perfect scores on the test in a row and probably had passing scores in the other tests. In Illinois, when the new Secretary of State took office, he immediately revoked the nighttime driving privileges of all BiOptic drivers for no apparent reason other than that he did not like the idea of low vision drivers driving at night. Last, but certainly far from least we have the now famous SB-335 law in California which takes away the driving privileges of all persons whose visual acuity cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 with regular eyeglasses or contact lenses, but allows just about any other disabled person to continue to drive so long as they pass the road test, yet many but not all of these persons with other disabilities have much higher accident rates than BiOptic drivers.
After reading yours and other postings on the NOAH web site, and my own person fight against the now famous SB-335, I have come to one conclusions. First, it is time for the prejudice and the hypocrisy to come to an end. Second, because of the plethora of state regulations that are more often than not based more on prejudice than real risk, this problem cannot be solved at the state level; we need a Federal law.
Now I know that the Federal government cannot directly force the states to comply with such a law, but the states can be made to suffer certain consequences for non-compliance. The basics of the law I have in mind are as follows:
Any physical defect of the applicant, which, in the opinion of the department, is compensated for to ensure safe driving ability, shall not prevent the issuance of a license to the applicant; no exceptions! This includes any person who can see 20/70 or better through the telescope portion of the BiOptic telescopic lens regardless of the visual acuity through the carrier lens. Any state not in full compliance by January 1, 2005 will suffer the following consequences:
1. No Federal Highway Money.
2. No Federal Money for public transportation systems such as, local buses, light rail, commuter rail service, and so on. This includes monies for the day to day operation of public transportation systems as well as capital improvements.
3. No Federal Medicaid money.
4. Reduced Federal Money for state and local law enforcement.
5. All, privately owned motor vehicles in a state that is not in compliance will be subject to a 10% Federal excise tax on the fair market value of the vehicle on a yearly bases.
All monies forfeited by the state and all monies raised by the excise tax will be turned over to the US Justice Department to fund ADA enforcement.
In addition any person who makes a false statement on the road test of a disabled driver for the purpose of denying a person of their driving privileges will treated as if they had denied that person their voting rights, and will be subject to the same criminal penalties.
Mike Williams
BDN, low vision driving driver, drive, BiOptic, albinism, albino, macular disease, nystagmus, cataracts, corneal diseases, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, archived by, BIOPTIC DRIVING NETWORK
BDN, low vision driving driver, drive, BiOptic, albinism, albino, macular disease, nystagmus, cataracts, corneal diseases, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, archived by, BIOPTIC DRIVING NETWORK
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