Deaf Bus Drivers



It was not easy for me to send my boys off to school when they were 3 and 4.  It wasn't much easier this year when they were 4 and 5, but what added to my mommy anxiety was having them ride the big, yellow school bus home every day. The boys loved seeing the busses at school and wanted to ride. Having them driven to our front door was a huge benefit to our homeschool schedule as well, so we decided to put them on the bus for the first time this year.

We have been very fortunate to have an amazing bus driver who truly cares for the kids she's transporting.  She's Deaf.  That fact may worry some hearing people.  I forget that it's not common knowledge that Deaf people are perfectly capable (even better) of driving. I'm reminded when hearing people ask me if my husband can drive. (I must add that I haven't heard that question once since we've lived in Austin.)  When I did Deaf culture training with police in Oklahoma, half of the officers weren't sure about the fact that Deaf people could carry a license.  That train of thought seems ridiculous to me, but I have been around Deaf people in some form or fashion for most of my life, so I have to remind myself that not everyone is enlightened in the area of The Deaf.

It's simply not true that hearing level has an effect on driving ability or safety. Period.

I could go on, but I wanted to share this video of the boys from their arrival home last week. I shot the video the day after iDeaf News posted this interview of 3 Deaf bus drivers working in the city of Austin at Texas School for the Deaf.


NAD website with information about earning a Commercial Driver's License.
List of which states allow Deaf to earn a CDL.
Deaf School Bus Driver Facebook Page
If you know of any more good websites, please let me know and I'll add them!

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