From today's Salt Lake Tribune:
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Dahir Abukar, a refugee from Somalia, talks about his problems getting a Utah driver's license during a break from ESL class at the LDS Humanitarian Center Wednesday, July 14, 2010. Abukar has tried to pass the Utah driver's license three times but has failed each time.
Despite growing tension around immigration in Utah, bipartisan support appears to be in the works for helping refugees obtain driver licenses more easily.
Utah’s driver-license law requires a knowledge of “simple English used in highway traffic and directional signs.” But critics say taking the test requires more than basic reading skills, leaving many refugees, some of whom may not be able to read or write in their own language, years away from getting behind the wheel. That limits their job prospects and can make something as simple as grocery shopping for a large family an impossible task.
“The question is how do we address the specific, unique circumstance of refugees without creating broader unintended negative consequences in other areas?” said Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, who sponsored the bill that created driving privilege cards for undocumented immigrants.
The state eliminated an illustrated version of the driver license test last year, after uncertainties lingered about whether the test measured what refugees actually knew. That was a dramatic shift for refugees who had often relied on the picture test when their English was not sufficient.
Refugees are legal immigrants brought to the United States by the government after enduring persecution in their home countries. Many have lived for decades in refugee camps and may have lost family members to war and genocide. Once they arrive in the U.S., they receive short-term financial support from the federal government, leaving some teetering on homelessness.
“Most of us could never fully understand or know the unspeakable tragedies that refugees have endured,” said Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City. “They don’t come to this state or to this country necessarily by choice. They come out of survival.”
Lawmakers are studying the issue to determine how other states approach the problem and whether the law needs to be changed. Utah, unlike some other Intermountain West states, does not allow interpreters for test takers. Several states with large numbers of refugees, such as California and Minnesota, offer the test in a variety of languages spoken by the newcomers.
Some refugees in Utah are now traveling to Arizona and Colorado to get driver licenses, because the rules are more flexible there. Both Bramble and Litvack predict more lawmakers from both parties will support changing how refugees are tested.
“Since they’re in the United States legally, do we want to remove the barriers to employment or their own economic independence?” Bramble asked. “I believe it’s a problem that can be solved, and I think it’s a problem that should be solved.”
Without a driver license, refugees’ job options can dwindle. Many industrial and manual jobs are far away from refugees’ homes and are not easily accessible by public transportation. Some jobs require a license for employment.
“No one is saying that an understanding of basic English is not important,” said Litvack, who is the House minority leader. “I think we’re looking at a potential resolution that allows for access to driver’s licenses while they’re gaining a better handle of the English language.”
English teachers are critical of the current test.
“I felt like the test tests a lot more than driving knowledge,” said Jennifer Christenson, an English-as-a-second-language teacher. “It tests your reading level — at a much higher level than basic.”
On Wednesday, Dahir Abukar, a father of seven, planned on taking the driver’s test for the fourth time.
“I want to drive to help my family,” the Somali refugee said while taking a break from his English class at the LDS Church’s Humanitarian Center.
Abukar’s wife and children often go to the grocery store by bus, but it is difficult to bring home enough food for the family’s long-term needs. Items like milk and potatoes make the bags too heavy to carry.
After living in Utah for more than a year and a half, Abukar, 50, used a computer for the first time this spring. The computerized driver license testing system is another major hurdle for refugees who are inexperienced with technology.
In recent months, a group of English-as-a-second-language teachers and other volunteers have begun to meet to develop and share curriculum to help refugees prepare for the test.
“We would love to change the test, but right now that doesn’t seem like anything in our reach,” said Beth Garstka, volunteer coordinator at the English Skills Learning Center in Salt Lake City.
Deo Sharma, a Bhutanese refugee, has been driving for more than two decades. He’s had licenses in Bhutan, Nepal and a learner permit from Florida. He has driven on the winding roads of the Himalayas and in the chaos of Katmandu. Despite his strong English skills, it took him three times in Utah before he could pass the driver license test.
“It was confusing questions,” Sharma recalled. “The Driver License Division should find out whether someone can drive or not.”
jlyon@sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/49928991-76/refugees-english-test-driver.html.csp