Iowa is making some headway in improving the lives of a large portion of individuals.

Get our free mobile app

Usually when we hear about stories of legislation being passed, half of us get angry while the other half feels pretty vindicated. This is one of those rare cases where EVERYONE wins.

For drivers who are on the Autism Spectrum, the Iowa Department of Transportation is offering something very interesting. If you identify as being on the spectrum, you can request to have the word "autism" added to your card.

driving car on highway, close up of hands on steering wheel
Photo by: anyaberkut
loading...

This is completely voluntary for people residing in Iowa. The goal of this initiative is to make communication between autistic individuals and police easier. In a statement announcing this new addition to driver's licenses, Iowa DOT officials said this is meant to,

"...better serve your communication needs when you are using a driver's license or ID."

This all started after one Iowan's unfortunate experience with the police.  Several years ago Tyler Leech was pulled over while driving for a tail light issue. According to reports, the officer thought Leech was being difficult when he was actually just scared.

Leech was diagnosed with autism when he was 22 months old and has made many efforts to improve the lives of fellow people in the autism community.

Leech worked with State Senator Tony Bisignano to get a bill passed. Also, another great thing about this piece of legislation, it got full bipartisan support on both sides.

This entire process is completely voluntary for people interested in getting this addition to their driver's license. If you are interested in getting this added, the usual fees do apply. For more information feel free to check out all of the details about this process here.

Hilarious Iowa DOT Signs

Anyone else share a sense of humor with a state's Department of Transportation? Just me? Well, every Monday the Iowa Department of Transportation puts up a sometimes hilarious, sometimes straightforward message on their road signs across the state. This is called "message Monday" and Iowa DOT tries to entertain and educate drivers through these signs. Here are just a few of our favorites.

See Inside Roseanne Barr's Eldon Mansion

Roseanne Barr was set to make a home in Iowa. She and her then-husband Tom Arnold were in the midst of building a mansion in Eldon. It was put on hold when the couple eventually split up. This left a beautiful, unfinished, and kind of spooky mansion behind.

More From 98.1 KHAK