Frankfort police program aids young drivers with disabilities

Officer Leanne Bender, of the Frankfort Police Department, and Lincoln-Way Area Special Education District 843 teacher Scott Stacel created a program to help young drivers with disabilities become more comfortable behind the wheel.

Bender said the driver awareness program was born out of a need she and Stacel noticed while working with young adults at the Lincoln-Way Transition House, where participants were learning about independent living. One source of anxiety was the possibility of being pulled over by a police officer while driving, she said, and Bender searched for a program that might help the young drivers cope.

Bender said that at about the same time, Frankfort resident Sandy DeFrancesco, mother of 18-year-old twin sons Tony and Pauly — each born with a disability that leaves them challenged in social situations — called to request that some type of identification be created for drivers with disabilities so police officers would know not only the type of disability a driver had, but also what behaviors he or she might exhibit. DeFrancesco said because her sons most likely would become nonverbal in a stressful situation, she was worried that their actions would be misunderstood.

“I’m just very concerned. I do not want an officer thinking he’s drunk or high or anything just because this child doesn’t talk,” DeFrancesco said. “(The police officer) is not going to understand the body language of a child with a disability. … I don’t want them to misinterpret their gestures.”

Bender and Stacel agreed, but Bender said she was unable to find any such existing programs.

“I kind of looked around to see if anything was in place and I couldn’t really find anything,” she said.

The closest thing she could find to addressing the problem was a system in Florida and Alabama, where identification for drivers with autism was offered, Bender said, but it didn’t go any further than that. So Bender and Stacel developed the driver awareness program, which includes a PowerPoint presentation and videos showing how drivers should act when they are pulled over by a police officer and explaining why police ask specific things of drivers, among other basics, Bender said.

She said the second component of the program — and perhaps the most important — is a mock traffic stop where young drivers get behind the wheel of a car and a police car with flashing lights is positioned behind them. The driver is approached in one stop by a “nice” police officer, Bender said, and then a second stop is done with a “tougher” police officer. Although no actual driving takes place, the mock traffic stop can ease the anxiety of those who do not know what to expect, she said.

“I don’t care who you are,” Bender said. “(When a policeman pulls you over) your stomach drops a little. Knowing what to expect is huge.”

The young drivers aren’t the only ones who need help to handle the traffic stop effectively, Bender said. She said an officer’s communication with a person with disabilities can be greatly enhanced if they have specific knowledge about a person’s disability. That can be done through an identification card, which will be provided by the Frankfort Police Department for those who want one.

The card can be handed to the police officer with a driver’s license. It will state the driver’s disability as well as possible behaviors he or she may exhibit “just so that the officer has information, (and) the officer is better able to communicate with that person and better help them … knowing exactly how to communicate and what to expect,” Bender said. “It’s a win-win situation for the police and the participant.”

Bender said there are no age or residency restrictions to participate in the program at this time, although participants should have at least a driver’s permit.

“I’m excited to see where it goes and hoping this program spreads,” Bender said.

For information or to sign up for the driver awareness program, call (815) 469-9435.

Ginger Brashinger is a freelance writer who covers the Lincoln-Way community.