Roadblock
Removed from Driver’s Ed
Settlement Means St. Cloud’s
High School Students Who are Deaf Will Get Interpreters for
Classroom and Behind-the-Wheel Training
by the MN Disability Law
Center Staff
Heather Breitbach, Amelia
Boos, Ashley Antonelli, Craig Roering and Charles Schumacher
are all high school students in St. Cloud who are at the age when
they want to start driving a car. They are also deaf. When they
called private driver’s education schools
in the St. Cloud area to sign up for classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel
training, they asked the schools to provide a sign language interpreter so
that they could fully participate in classes. All of the schools refused
to do this. The students and their parents promptly contacted the Minnesota
Disability Law Center (MDLC) for help, which turned out to be the best step
they could have taken.
Attorneys from MDLC
told the students and parents that the schools were clearly violating
the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities
Act by refusing to provide an interpreter for classes. Both laws
require private businesses to provide interpreters when necessary
to make their programs fully available to deaf customers. MDLC
filed a lawsuit against the schools on behalf of the students;
the schools then agreed to settle the case and to provide interpreters
for these particular students and for other deaf students who will
take driver’s
education in the future. The schools will not only provide qualified
interpreters for classroom and behind-the-wheel training without
charge to the students, but will also notify all customers in promotional
brochures and notices posted in schools that interpreters are available.
The Benefits
These students
will not only be able to get driver’s education
and their licenses, but also take advantage of lower insurance rates
because they took driver’s ed. Driving makes it easier to be
connected to friends and social events, and to have access to jobs.
This settlement puts all Minnesota schools on notice that they must
provide interpreters for students who are deaf. These St. Cloud students
and their parents can be proud that the results of the case they
took to MDLC will benefit thousands of deaf children and adults across
the state. This is a victory for the whole state.
Postscript from Boos
“Good
news—We passed!
“I want you to know I took my Driver’s Test today and
I passed. I was so shocked and surprised. I can finally be independent
like I want to be. Again, thanks with the Driver’s Ed issue.
You’ve been a great and a wonderful help. Both of you.” —Amelia. ![]()
Reprinted with permission from MDLC Advocate, 12/06.
