Getting my Drivers' has been hell on earth. I need advice.

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Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but I couldn't figure out if this should go anywhere else.

I live in Edmonton, Canada. I have had a class 7 license for 16 years. (Learner's permit). My aunt bought me driving lessons for my 30th birthday. To use them, I had to go renew my license.

(Happy ****ing birthday! You owe the government money! pay up, suckers!)

I went to renew my license, and the lady behind the counter asks me the following question:

"Do you have any existing medical conditions?"

I made the biggest mistake of my life, when I asked:

"Does Asperger's Syndrome count?"

The next thing I know, I am handed two medical forms to go to my doctor to fill out. And they are renewing my license, conditionally for one year, instead of the usual 5.

Let me clarify that in the province of Alberta, whenever you renew your license, due to anti-counterfitting measures, you must surrender your current license and wait fourteen days for your new license to arrive in the mail. Thus leaving you without ID for a fortnight. Oh, and you pay $65 a crack per license.

I went to a doctor that very day. I told him the lowdown, and he immediately rolled his eyes and sighed. "bureaucrats." He signed the forms, writing 'Sir Madness has Asperger's Syndrome. This has no effect on his ability to operate a vehicle."

I had to pay an extra $65 because drivers examinations are not covered under Alberta Health Care.

I went back to the registrars' that very day, documents in tow.

I didn't get my 5 year license because:

1. I went to a doctor who wasn't my family doctor (I don't have one, and haven't had one for years)
2. I did not get the paper filled out by a specialist. (I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was 12. She's most likely retired, for crying out loud.)

choice quotes:

"We don't really have much of an understanding of how Asperger's affects an individual's ability to drive. We need more information."

Well, gee...ever hear of Wikipedia, you brainless fool?!? This shouldn't be MY goddamn problem! I'm sorry for getting so upset, but I'm at a loss as to what to do. I feel like I'm being treated like a ret*d person with no right to act like everyone else. The only reason this is even an issue is because somebody in your office saw that bloody episode of Law & Order, and now Aspies are a hot topic!

So now I get to phone the central office in about 4-6 weeks when they will make a decision as to whether I need a yearly medical, or if they need more information from a psychiatrist or a specialist, which will be an enormous waste of time and effort, and possibly money.

And to be honest, I'm a little stuck as to what to do next....I don't know if I should phone up the office of human rights and complain, or if I should just jump through their little hoops. Or if there are other options I am not considering. All I know is: To my fellow Aspies:

When you're in line for your Driver's, keep your mouth SHUT!! !

An excellent anecdote. Thank you for sharing.

Agreed, thanks for sharing!

That is why I did not (and still do not) mention AS when I go in for my medical for my school bus endorsement. I do not want bureaucrats deciding whether I can safely drive a bus or not when I have already proven that I can indeed drive a bus (or large truck for that matter).

Human Rights deals with private issues.As far as I know, driving is a provincial government thing and falls under the provincial government whereby they are bound by the charter of rights and freedoms.You must go to court and challenge it there.

Also, talk to your MLA, write to the premier, or get it public whether it be the Edmonton journal, edmonton sun, or even the Red Deer Advocate.

Yes, I've always said "no" when they ask about licenses. When it comes to other things-medical things when they ask like in the ER or something, I'll ask them if it counts for anything, but when it comes to anything aside from medical or talking to people about state assistance, I keep my mouth shut, because I know there will be backlash from it for sure.

[quote="Tory_canuck"]Human Rights deals with private issues.As far as I know, driving is a provincial government thing and falls under the provincial government whereby they are bound by the charter of rights and freedoms.You must go to court and challenge it there.

Also, talk to your MLA, write to the premier, or get it public whether it be the Edmonton journal, edmonton sun, or even the Red Deer Advocate.[/quote

In the U.S. and Canada, being licensed to drive on the public roads is NOT a right. It is a privilege extended in a non-discriminatory manner. One needs the permission of the government to drive a motor vehicle on public roads.

On private property one can drive a non-registered vehicle and not be licensed. All one needs is the permission of the owner of the property.

ruveyn

A lot of people don't even know what AS is. They aren't familiar with it. They might have heard of it but they have so many people applying for licenses each day they can't keep up with all the different diagnosis so they ask for something definitive they can put in a file somewhere which is why they want all this medical information from your doctor, to cover themselves so they won't get sued later. They don't single out AS and decide to discriminate against Aspies.
Unless it's obvious AS is going to affect your driving in some way, there's no reason to mention it.

Well if you look at the medical advice issued to UK doctors (http://www.dvla.gov.uk/medical/ataglance.aspx) as to who can and can not drive you will find that you can not drive a HGV (truck) or bus if you

have had a epileptic attack in the last ten years, narcolepsy ever, a stroke in the last year, recent pacemaker implant, mania (until an expert rules on the case), acute or chronic psychosis (until an expert rules on the case), dementia, alcoholism in the last 3 years, AIDS (if the CD4 count is below 200) and a load of other conditions.

while for AS it says for a truck license

Continuing minor symptomatology may be compatible with licensing. Cases will be considered on an individual basis.

while for a car

A diagnosis of any of these conditions is not in itself a bar to licensing. Factors such as impulsivity, lack of awareness of the impact of own behaviours on self or others need to be considered

Which to me means if you are not impulsive behind the wheel and you understand that your driving can have an effect on you and others then you can drive a car with AS in the UK, while you might need to see an expert to get the all clear for a truck license. I do not think that the UK would be wanting an AS case to be checked each year , the guidelines to the doctors say nothing about regular checks for AS cases.

So why are they only giving you a one year license ?

_________________
Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

That sounds just plain wrong. They admit they don't know much about it, but won't defer to the doctor, who has more expertise.

I would write a nice letter to your provincial representative listing what happened, and inquiring about whether or not your treatment was consistent with the government's non-discriminatory intent. I would point out (if it's true) that the form asked for all medical conditions, not just ones that effect driving, and that you have already presented a doctors letter, that you had to pay for.

My experience has been that a staff person for the politician calls someone at the bureaucracy, who is then put on the spot. They don't like that and often try to make the problem go away by approving the application.

Avoid ranting. Lay out the facts and ask if that's how it's supposed to work.

As a rule in life....tell nobody anything you don't absolutely have to.

I wear glasses for distance. Have for years. I still don't have a eyeglass restriction on my license. Managed to pass the eye exam well enough all this time, but I always wear glasses when driving.

If you have a medical condition that would impact your ability to drive, YOUR DOCTOR would have told you. Never admit or suggest there is an issue that a qualified professional has not already told you about. It just saves a lot of hassle.

The NTs live by this saying, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission."

If the clerk was to magically discover that you had AS and made an issue of it, you could say that your DOCTOR told you it has no impact on the ability to drive safely. Hence, you did not tell them about it. They could huff and puff all the want over that, but ultimately it's not worth their resources to do anything about it. Taking away your valid license requires an act of due process backed by solid evidence.

However, tell them up front, and now they have the power to do whatever they want because they can keep you from getting what you need until you do what they demand. Denying you what you don't already have is something they can do just for the heck of it.