When: November 4, 2023

8:00 am-12:00 pm

Where: Sacred Heart University, West Campus

Who: Drivers or passengers with autism. Drivers must have a current license, car, registration, and insurance. One support person is welcome to attend.

What: Officers from the Sacred Heart Public Safety, Fairfield, Westport, and Southern Police Departments will perform practice routine traffic stops with drivers and passengers with autism. These traffic stops will allow participants to engage with an officer and experience a routine traffic stop in a controlled setting. It is expected that this experience will familiarize participants with the typical steps of a traffic stop and prepare them for the experience elsewhere. Participants will learn how to effectively utilize the Blue Envelope when stopped by a police officer. Blue Envelopes will be available for drivers should they choose to use them. The Blue Envelope is a Connecticut DMV resource that provides a blue colored envelope with written instructions to assist a motorist with autism spectrum disorder navigate a traffic stop. The envelope also alerts police officers that the individual has autism so that enhanced communication can be reached between the two. https://portal.ct.gov/DMV/Licenses/Licenses/Autism-awareness

For everyone, a traffic stop can create some anxiety. For an individual with autism, it may have an even greater impact. This program is designed to alleviate some of the stress associated with a traffic stop by providing an opportunity for drivers, passengers, and officers to interact in a safe, predictable manner.

Participants will utilize their own vehicles for the practice traffic stops which will take place in closed parking lot. Before the traffic stops, participants will review the steps of a routine traffic stop, and also how to use the DMV Blue Envelope. Drivers and police officers will also have the opportunity to meet and engage informally prior to the traffic stops.

Presented by: SCSU Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sacred Heart Public Safety, Fairfield, Westport and Southern Police Departments Registration: Please email: asd-center@southernct.edu

In the subject line of your email, please include: “traffic stop practice” and in the body of your email, please include: (1) name, (2) phone, (3) email.