Immigrant rights group files federal complaint over limited language options on Tennessee’s driver license test

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Tennessee immigrant rights coalition claims a Tennessee agency is violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 due to the lack of language access on the state’s driver license test.

The Our State, Our Languages coalition (OSOL), which is a coalition of grassroots, community organizations that came together in the summer of 2022, filed a federal complaint against the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s Driver Services Division, arguing the state fails to provide “meaningful access” to different languages on the driver’s test.

Tennessee’s written driver license test is currently offered in five languages — English, Spanish, German, Japanese, and Korean, with the last three added after car manufacturers moved to the state. Meanwhile, the most widely spoken languages in Tennessee, including Arabic, aren’t offered, according to OSOL.

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“Think of the real-life consequences of not being able to take the test in the language that you speak,” Sabina Mohyuddin, the executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council said.

OSOL argues the lack of language access is more than a roadblock for those with limited English proficiency — it’s a civil rights violation and goes against federal guidance.

Federal guidelines recommend federally-funded state agencies provide translation and interpretation services if 5% of the population or 1,000 people have limited English proficiency. The coalition claims under that guidance, languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Swahili, and Kurdish should be added to Tennessee’s test.

“Our complaint is based on not providing meaningful access. It’s not that nothing is being provided. It’s not meaningful,” Diana Sanchez-Vega, founder and CEO of Sanchez-Vega Communications said. “From the moment someone walks into a driver services center, they should be able to interact with the front desk person in a way that they can meaningfully access that information so that they can meaningfully access those services.”

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OSOL conducted an in-person and over-the-phone test to compile consistent data before filing the federal complaint. The group said the results showed those with limited English proficiency who didn’t have access to tests in their native languages faced numerous negative consequences due to the language barrier, including failing the driver’s test multiple times, losing their jobs, and struggling to care for their families.

“Community members regularly share how a parent cannot pick their sick kid up from school, how someone cannot attend a job interview because their ride fell through, how a community member cannot take a sick parent to the emergency department; how one family has no food for dinner because their ride is delayed at their job and will arrive after the store closes,” Sanchez-Vega said.

“We had a Kurdish gentleman go into the driver services, and the staff there was sympathetic because the driver’s test is not offered in the Kurdish language, but the staff said, ‘Try going to another state,’” Mohyuddin said.

Neighboring states, like Kentucky, offer its driver’s license test in 20 languages, according to the state’s website. Virginia offers its driver’s test in 26 languages.

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Meanwhile, Tennessee eliminated multiple language options on its driver’s license test in the 1990’s, and last legislative session, some lawmakers tried to make the driver’s license test English only. However, the bill failed.

News 2 reached out to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security for an interview or statement in response to the allegations in the federal complaint, but had not heard back by the time this article was published. OSOL said the department has previously cited cost as a concern in adding more language options.

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