Jackie Borchardt reports at Cleveland.com:
A pair of Ohio lawmakers are proposing a voluntary registry for individuals with autism, speech impairments or other disabilities hampering communication, as a way to better inform law enforcement officials.
The information would be available only to officers recalling information from a driver's license or license plate, and officers wouldn't know details about the disability besides that fact it could influence communication.
"We're trying to close the communication gap between people who voluntarily go through this initiative with a communication disability and law enforcement officers," said Rep. Scott Wiggam, a Wooster Republican co-sponsoring the bill.
House Bill 115 was prompted by recent Ohio incidents where drivers with autism were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The drivers failed field sobriety tests but blood and urine tests came back negative.
Olivia Fecteau reported at WCMH-TV:
