Little demand so far for Kansas’ new Alzheimer’s license plate

There’s a new specialty license plate available in Kansas to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease.

But don’t start squinting at vehicles in parking lots or city streets looking for it.

Before the new plates will be issued in Kansas, 500 people have to sign up for one, according to the Central and Western Kansas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

As of mid-January, the number of applications was 24.

The application includes a $30 royalty fee paid to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The organization’s website estimates more than 50,000 Kansans have Alzheimer’s, “and that number is only growing,” a statement on the site said. “Having the plates would raise awareness of the disease, which will become more prevalent as Kansas’ population ages.”

The tepid early response to the new specialty plate is not surprising to James Covel, a public policy specialist for the organization.

“I’m not terribly discouraged” by the number, Covel said. “It’s a difficult thing to do. I don’t think it’s impossible.”

Covel pointed to Kentucky as an example. It took more than six years for the required 900 applications to be filed there before the specialty plates were produced, he said.

“If we keep pushing it, we’ll get the goal,” Covel said. “It’s just going to take some work.”

Fe Vorderlandwehr, executive director of the Central and Western Kansas chapter of the association, said she is optimistic the 500 applications can be generated by the April 2018 deadline.

Alzheimer’s awareness plates have been approved in Georgia, Maine and Tennessee, but not enough people have applied for a plate for them to be issued.

All of the plate designs feature purple – the color linked to Alzheimer’s awareness – in some fashion.

This story was originally published January 29, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Little demand so far for Kansas’ new Alzheimer’s license plate."