Las Vegas valley deaf community thankful as new bill goes into effect

Madison Kimbro
·2 min read
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Tim Smalley, President of the Nevada Association for the Deaf has lived in Nevada his whole life. He and others within the deaf community are beyond thankful for this new year as Assembly Bill 161 is now in effect.

“I’ve had my own experience trying to communicate with the Police Department and dealt with other individuals who have various levels of hearing loss,” Smalley shared.

The bill, passed by Governor Lombardo in June requires the Nevada DMV to “place a flag on a driver’s license and vehicle registration that a communication need exists.”

A major hurdle in the right direction for those living with communication challenges. Particularly for drivers.

“It can be a very scary moment and very confusing, especially if a lot of officers show up and you don’t know why you are being stopped and you don’t know how to respond,” Smalley recalled being pulled over by authorities.

While the flag icon on someone’s license is upon request, the registration part of the bill stating that there is a “communication need” will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.

“I am very happy that this happened because in the past they wanted to give us a separate driver’s license that said that we were hearing impaired which is an inappropriate term to use,” he added.

This bill encompasses a variety of neurodivergent needs so if someone suffers from autism or has a language disorder, they will also fall under this category thus helping officials and others address the individual with ease, understanding and respect.

Susan Beckett, vice chair of the Nevada Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission is an advocate for the cause after going through her own experience with hearing loss.

“I was completely deaf at 40. I wore hearing aids before that. My mid-twenties are when I got my first set of hearing aids,” Beckett shared.

Beckett said that with this bill now enacted, she hopes it leads to further discussion and resources.

“If anything, this bill and being a part of the Nevada Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission has taught me so much and there is a huge need in this community,” she shared.

Again, the flag symbol is not mandatory. The DMV will only issue it upon request from a driver with proper documentation.

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