In New Mexico, drivers certified by licensed health personnel to have impaired mobility or a condition which substantially interferes with mobility may qualify for "Disabled" status. According to this, an applicant is said to have mobility disorder if he

• Cannot walk one hundred feet without stopping to rest
• Cannot walk without the use of a brace, a cane, a crutch, assistance from another person, a prosthetic device, a wheelchair or another assistive device.
• Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the person's forced respiratory volume, when exhaling for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty millimeters on room air at rest.
• Uses portable oxygen.
• Has a severe cardiac condition.
• Is so severely limited in his ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition that the person cannot ascend or descend more than ten stair steps.

You are also considered a disabled driver if you have

• A heart, lung or circulatory disease.
• Any disorder that limits the use of lower extremities; or either or both hands or legs.
• Documented problems with vision, including partial-sightedness or low vision.

Disabled persons can acquire a Disabled Person (DP) placard or DP license plates. These entitle you to special parking privileges in areas designated for disabled persons, whenever you are the driver or a passenger of the vehicle. Misuse or abuse of these privileges is a misdemeanor; offenders can get fines and/or imprisonment in county jail.

Other facilities available for disabled drivers include:

• Window decals for holders of DP placards or plates, whose vehicles have wheelchairs or lifts that obstruct the rear license plate.
• Ability to take a leashed service animal along to the MVD.
• Alternative methods to complete the written Drivers License Examination.
• TTY for Speech and Hearing Impaired.
• Specially designated counters for Disabled Persons at the MVD office.

HOW TO APPLY FOR DISABLED STATUS

You are considered to have disabled status when you acquire a DP placard or license plates. An individual can have up to 2 placards and use it in the vehicles he often travels in. The procedure to acquire these is explained below.

Duration of status

DP license plates are available only to those who are permanently disabled.

DP placards may be issued to those with permanent or temporary disabilities:

• Placards for the permanently disabled are valid for up to 4 years and are valid up to the same date as your license or photo ID.
• Temporary placards are valid for up to 12 months.
• NM residents can use their placards in other states at the time of travel. Non-NM residents can use their placards and/or plates during their travel to New Mexico. It is advisable, however, to have a medical statement indicating the disability.

How to apply for DP license plates or a DP placard

To obtain DP license plates:

1. Download and complete the disability plates application form
2. If your disability is not very obvious, have a licensed physician or medical doctor sign the Medical Certification portion of the form.
3. Provide the current registration card in your name, or documents that prove the vehicle is registered in your name; as well as any registration fees due on the vehicle.
4. Surrender the current license plates of the vehicle.
5. Mail the completed form, along with any fees, to the address on the form.
6. If you were a war veteran, then you can also apply for the Military Service Special Plate. You can obtain this plate with or without a handicap symbol, depending on your condition. If you are unable to go to the local MVD, you can also mail this application to the address on the form.

To obtain a DP placard:

1. Download and complete the Certificate of Eligibility for Parking Placard for mobility impaired individuals, indicating if your condition is temporary or permanent.
2. Have a licensed physician sign the Physician Medical Statement and Certification portion of the form.
3. Mail the completed original form, along with any fees, to the address on the form.

Alternatively, to obtain either the plates or the placard, you can take the form to a local MVD office. Take along your driver's license and social security number. You will receive your placard (or plates) within approximately two weeks. Along with your new plates, you will receive a self-certification form verifying your eligibility for the plates, which you must carry with you when in the vehicle, and present upon request by law enforcement officers or other authorized persons.

EXEMPTIONS

You do not need a doctor's certificate, if you have lost (or lost the use of) either or both hands, or lower extremities, and you appear at a local MVD office in person.

FEE

Both temporary and permanent DP placards are free. There is also no fee for replacement. There is also no fee for Disabled Person's Special Plates or the Disabled Veterans License Plates.

RENEWAL

Temporary placards are issued for a period of 12 months and cannot be renewed. A new one must be applied for and obtained. Permanent placards are valid for 4 years and expire on the same day as the driver's license or the ID card. You need to indicate on the form if you are applying for renewal. If the medical disability is improved, then you need to submit your special plates to the MVD. If your address has changed, download and fill out the form and mail it to the address on the form. Holders of permanent placards do not require recertification by a doctor.

REPLACEMENT

To replace lost, stolen or mutilated placards or plates:

1. Download and complete the Certificate of Eligibility For Parking Placard or the Application for Handicapped License Plate depending on what you want replaced.
2. Enclose any mutilated placard or remaining plates.
3. Mail the application, along with old damaged placard to the address on the form(s).
4. Alternatively, take the completed application to a local MVD office with the old damaged plates and/or placards and get a replacement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Location and hours of New Mexico MVD offices.