Miss-Delectable
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The State Journal - News for West Virginia's Leaders
For many, sign language is their only form of communication. Recently, a 17-year-old deaf teenager tried to get paper and a pen out of his glove box to communicate with the officer who stopped him.
"The police pulled him out of the car, assumed he had a gun in there, lead to a communication misunderstanding and frightening experience," said John Burdette, Vice-President of the West Virginia Association of the Deaf.
The incident sent Burdette into action, trying to remove a communication gap instead of complaining about it. An identifying placard is the result.
"The deaf driver has to pull it down from their sun visor and show the police, point to the card and point I'm deaf or hard of hearing," said Burdette.
The back of the card goes on to show the best option for the officer and driver to communicate.
"That's important to us because as we approach a vehicle. For our safety, we stand back behind the driver so the driver has to turn their heads towards us. If a person reads lips I need to know that so I can stand in a position where they can see me clearly," says Sgt. Mike Lynch of the State Police.
The placards were given to deaf drivers at the association's convention in Charleston, with the hope that if they happen to be stopped by a law enforcement officer, communication will no longer be an issue.
For many, sign language is their only form of communication. Recently, a 17-year-old deaf teenager tried to get paper and a pen out of his glove box to communicate with the officer who stopped him.
"The police pulled him out of the car, assumed he had a gun in there, lead to a communication misunderstanding and frightening experience," said John Burdette, Vice-President of the West Virginia Association of the Deaf.
The incident sent Burdette into action, trying to remove a communication gap instead of complaining about it. An identifying placard is the result.
"The deaf driver has to pull it down from their sun visor and show the police, point to the card and point I'm deaf or hard of hearing," said Burdette.
The back of the card goes on to show the best option for the officer and driver to communicate.
"That's important to us because as we approach a vehicle. For our safety, we stand back behind the driver so the driver has to turn their heads towards us. If a person reads lips I need to know that so I can stand in a position where they can see me clearly," says Sgt. Mike Lynch of the State Police.
The placards were given to deaf drivers at the association's convention in Charleston, with the hope that if they happen to be stopped by a law enforcement officer, communication will no longer be an issue.