The ACLU of Indiana is suing the Indiana BMV on behalf of Neighbor to Neighbor, Inc., a nonprofit organization in South Bend, Indiana.
The ACLU claims that the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles discriminates against an individual’s national origin by only providing the Indiana’s Driver’s Manual in English.
In a press release on Tuesday, Gavin M. Rose, ACLU of Indiana Senior Staff Attorney, says “There is no legitimate reason for the BMV to offer its ‘knowledge examination’ in fourteen different languages, but to only offer the Driver’s Manual on which that examination is based in English. Learning material orally is no substitute for the ability to read, study, review and re-review the Driver’s Manual in a language that an immigrant to Indiana actually understands.”
Neighbor to Neighbor, Inc. works with international refugees and immigrants that live in the South Bend area, by assisting them in things like obtaining a driver’s license.
The Indiana BMV has received a copy of the complaint, but a representative declined to comment because it’s pending litigation.
ACLU Suit Against The BMV by Indiana Public Media News on Scribd