Drivers’ licences for deaf likely – Ramjattan

…says international best practice being examined

Days after the Guyana Society for the Deaf took to the streets to protest for drivers’ licences to be issued to them as promised, the Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, has said that he is considering the issuance of the licences but under specific conditions.
Ramjattan made the disclosure during an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday.

According to the Minister, because of the special needs of persons with hearing impediments, he is hoping to put measures in place so that other drivers would be lenient towards them.
“We have to do it with conditionality. There are certain conditions that because they are disabled people they’ll have to have so that they can be identified… so when other drivers see them they can identify them as people with disabilities,” the Minister said.
He said that he is presently challenged with getting those conditions right as it may be dangerous for the commuters and pointed to the importance of those persons being recognised by other drivers, especially emergency vehicles such as ambulances, as they might not be able to properly respond to such vehicles by pulling over to the corner of the road to allow them to pass.
Ramjattan said he is working on having international best practices introduced in Guyana to avoid conflicts on the roadway.
According to him, the Ministry is expected to meet with the Deaf Association soon to update them on his decision along with the conditions, which he hopes they accept.
In this regard, Ramjattan explained that he is considering various options for deaf drivers to be recognised on the roads.
“A sticker on the back windscreen, that can help, and a number of other suggestions can be made that the number plate of the car they are driving can have something that can indicate to other people because if somebody is blowing behind them they must appreciate that those persons have a difficulty in front,” the Minister said.

On Monday, a group of persons from the Guyana Society for the Deaf protested the Public Security Ministry calling for drivers’ licences to be issued for them.
It was explained that they met with the Government some time ago to discuss the issue when they were assured it would have been discussed.
They said that the deaf should be given equal privileges as those who can hear and should not be discriminated against as they held their placards across from the Ministry.
Some of them contended that they have been driving for a very long time and was never involved in an accident while others argued that the deaf are treated equally in other countries and are allowed to drive but they are being discriminated against in their own country.
In relation to responding to emergency vehicles, those persons noted that they are capable of driving by using their mirrors to see what is happening around them.
The protesters said that because of how they are being treated, they are forced to use taxis even though many of them already have their own vehicles.
In the Region, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Jamaica, Suriname, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, among other countries allow deaf drivers to obtain licences.