In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between first responders and autistic people. Some jurisdictions allow autistic drivers to ask for a blue envelope to disclose the driver's diagnosis in case of an accident or traffic stop. Others have ID cards.
Mat Fagan and Gene Myers at NorthJersey.com:
[M]ore and more police departments and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state are adopting New Jersey's Blue Envelope Program. The program's goal is to inform officers as fast as possible that the driver they have stopped has a developmental disorder, which may explain their unusual behavior.
Those drivers who participate in the program will get a blue envelope they can place on their vehicle's sun visor or hand over to law enforcement officers during a stop. The envelope holds their essential documents, including license, registration and a contact card. Officers are trained to recognize the blue envelope and its meaning.
Englewood’s Christopher Gagliardi, 43, who has autism, said the bright red and blue lights atop police cars are scary. He's hoping the program helps to ensure that there's "no brutality or any kind of abuse against people with special needs like myself and especially on the autism spectrum disorder that are affected by the terror and fear of police officers."
Once the driver shows or hands over the blue envelope, it alerts the officers to the situation, and they then are able to put training and guidance on best practices into effect. The training will have covered how best to interact and communicate with drivers with autism, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.
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A new study found that a third of teens who have autism without intellectual disability earn a driver's license. Nearly 90% of them do so within two years of getting their learner’s permit.
