Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration

Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices

The MVA Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices (OCRFP) strives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, helping to create an environment where all are valued and respected. Our employees work together to provide our customers with an experience that is free of discrimination, equally accessible, and conducted in a respectful manner. We are committed to providing prompt, courteous, and efficient service to all our customers.

The information below will assist you if you need accommodations or other help during your next visit to one of our MVA branches. If you need additional information or assistance, please feel free to contact our office directly.​

Learn more about our services below:​

ADA Reasonable Accommodations​​

 
If you would like to request accommodations, please follow these steps to make a request:
  1. ​Login or create your myMVA account
  2. Under My Information, select ContactMVA 
  3. In the category drop-down, select Accommodations for Customers with Disabilities, and follow the screens to submit the request.
Once you submit your request, the MVA will contact you to discuss your accommodation needs. If you don’t have a Maryland driver’s license or ID, use our contact information below to request accommodations.

The MVA may require documentation from a qualified professional that supports the need for the requested testing accommodations.  Appropriate documentation will vary depending on the nature of the disability and the specific testing accommodation requested. Customers will be notified after submitting their request if documentation is required for their appointment.

Law Test Accommodations​

  • Extended Time - Sometimes referred to as a timing accommodation, extended time is used to help customers who need it to complete the Law Test. 

  • Oral Reader – Sometimes referred to as a “qualified” reader, an oral reader is someone who is able to read effectively, accurately, and impartially, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.

  • Screen Reader – Providing accessible electronic text documents, forms, etc. that can be accessed by the person’s screen reader program.

  • Headphones – Headphones, or a headset, is a communication device that is comprised of an earpiece and microphone. Various options may be available, i.e. over the head or around the ear. ​​

Behind The Wheel Test Accommodation

  • ​​Interpreter – A qualified sign language interpreter, oral interpreter means someone who can interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially, both receptively (i.e., under​​standing what the person with the disability is saying) and expressively (i.e., having the skill needed to convey information back to that person) using any necessary specialized vocabulary.

  • Visual Aid with Flash Cards – Flash Cards/ Visual Aids may be used to aid in providing clear direction and as a method to aid with communication for various disabilities linked to learning, vision, etc. ​

Religious Accommodations

 

Religious Accommodations

​Head Garments for ID/DL Photos – In accordance with the MVA Driver and Vehicle Policy, applicants for driver licenses and identification cards who state that their head covering is worn as a religious or cultural ordinance, practice, faith, or belief, may be photographed according to procedures while wearing the religious or cultural garment/head covering. However, your full face must be shown in ID/DL photos.

An applicant citing physical disfigurement concerns may be photographed while wearing a head covering. Head coverings that are not for medical or religious purposes are not permitted. 

An applicant citing religious or cultural reasons also may request that an MVA staff person of a particular gender take the applicant’s picture.


Language Services​

 
If you have difficulty communicating in English or are deaf/severely hearing impaired, you may be able to use one of our language services when you visit the MVA.

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)​

The VRI service uses video conferencing technology to access an off-site interpreter to provide real-time sign language or oral interpreting services for conversations between hearing people and people who are deaf or have hearing loss. The best way to utilize VRI would be to make a request through myMVA, but you can also visit the information counter or the Management Office at any MVA branch office to request VRI.

Qualified Onsite Interpreter

A qualified sign language interpreter or oral interpreter is someone who can interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially, both receptively (i.e., understanding what the person with the disability is saying) and expressively (i.e., having the skill needed to convey information back to that person) using any necessary specialized vocabulary. Visit the MVA’s Interpreter / Translation Provider page for more information.

Interpreter/Translation Providers Quick Links​​

Foreign Language Services​

​The MVA offers several documents and tests in other languages. If you need assistance finding a foreign language interpreter, we can help. Click here​ for the full list of languages the MVA offers for the Non-Commercial Class C test, and click here to find the Maryland Driver’s Manual in 15+ languages. 

Please note: If we offer the knowledge test in the language that you speak, you must attempt the knowledge test at least five (5) times before an interpreter can be used.

Foreign Language Services Quick Links

Gender Identity (or Gender X)

 
Legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly allows Marylanders who do not identify as male or female, to select Gender X on their driver’s license or identification card.  Gender X is a term used to encompass "a gender that is not exclusively male or female, including, but not limited to; intersex, agender, androgynous, female-to-male, genderfluid, genderqueer, male-to-female, non-binary, transgender, transsexual, and unspecified.”

Customers will indicate a gender designation of M, F, or X on their application, and can update the gender designation at any time. The application is the only document required to update the gender marker in the system. No additional medical history or records will be requested. Visit the Changing Gender Designation page for more information.​​​


Service Animals​

 
The MVA permits service animals in all MVA locations. Service animals are defined as dogs or miniature horses that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Only dogs and miniature horses are recognized as service animals under Titles II and III of the ADA. 

Service animals are working animals, not pets. Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and are not permitted into MVA facilities. The work or task a dog or miniature horse has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Examples of such work or tasks include: 
  • ​guiding people who are blind;
  • alerting people who are deaf;
  • pulling a wheelchair;
  • alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure;
  • reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications;
  • calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack; 
  • or performing other duties.
If you have any questions about bringing your service animal, or to bring a miniature horse into an MVA Branch Office please contact the Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices before your visit.​

Title VI Policy Statement, Plan & Complaint Process Information

 
The MVA’s federally compliant Title VI Program Plan supports our mission to provide our customers with exemplary service.  The MVA will work diligently to ensure that all recipients and subrecipients of federal funds conduct their business fairly and free from discriminatory practices. 

You can view the MVA’s Title VI Plan and Policy Statement with the links below:

Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices & Title VI Program Responsibilities​

Under the authority of the MVA Administrator, the Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices is responsible for ensuring implementation and monitoring of the Agency’s Title VI Program. The Director shall exercise all powers delegated by the Administrator, including, but not limited to the receipt, acknowledgment, investigation, review, final disposition, and reporting of Title VI Program complaints.  

Who Can File a Complaint

Anyone that believes they have been discriminated Any person who believes that individually, as a member of any specific class of persons, or in connection with any minority groups or associations, believes that they have been excluded from, denied the privilege and/or benefits of participating in any program, service, or activity sponsored by the MVA or any of its units, divisions and departments or any of its sub-recipients represented by (contractors, consultants, local governmental agencies, municipalities, counties, townships or enterprises) with whom MVA has extended federal financial assistance may individually or by a representative file a formal complaint of discrimination. This applies to MVA services, programs, or activities whether federally funded or not.

What the Complaint Must Contain

A formal Title VI Program complaint must be filed on the MVA Title VI Program Complaint Form​.  This form is available at any MVA location by request and also available online at MVA’s website.  The complaint must contain the following information:
  • ​The name and mailing address of the person filing the complaint
  • Contact information (telephone number, email, P.O. Box, etc.)
  • If you have a representative, you will also need to provide your representative’s name, address, and telephone number
  • The name of the MVA division or office you believe discriminated against you or the basis of the complaint (what the complaint is about).  
  • A specific description of the issues of the discrimination complaint, including the dates of the alleged discriminatory act
  • Corrective action requested and remedy sought

Complaint Reporting

If the complainant elects to file a formal complaint with the MVA, it must be submitted in writing, signed, and dated, and initiated within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act (or latest occurrence).  The complainant is strongly encouraged to bring any incidents of discrimination to the attention of the MVA as soon as possible after any such alleged conduct occurs. 

Where to File the Complaint

​All allegations, regardless of where they are reported, shall be immediately sent to OCRFP or the appropriate authority. Any complaint relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should be sent to the MVA’s ADA Title II Coordinator for review and processing.

Complaints alleging violations of the Title VI Program against the Maryland MVA, recipient, sub recipient(s), and/or contractor(s) (i.e., local agency, contractor, consultant, etc.) with whom the MVA conducts business or participates with, should be filed in writing directly to the following MVA address:

Maryland Department of Transportation 
Motor Vehicle Administration
Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices
Attention:  Title VI Program Manager
6601 Ritchie Highway, NE
Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062
Phone:  410-768-7610 TTY:1-800-492-4575

OR

Maryland Department of Transportation
Office of Diversity and Equity
7201 Corporate Center Drive
P.O. Box 548
Hanover, Maryland 21076
Toll Free: 1-888-713-1414/TTY 1-800-735-2258

Complaints may also be sent in writing directly to the following EXTERNAL agencies:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Office of Civil Rights – Room W65-312
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590

OR

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Phone: 202-514-4609/TTY:  202-514-0716
​​Please contact our office if you need additional support during your visit.
Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices
6601 Ritchie Highway Suite 227
Glen Burnie, MD 21062
410 -768 -7610

Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration
6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, MD 21062
Call Center - 410-768-7000
Call Center - 1-800-950-1682