A new program for Mass. drivers on the autism spectrum looks to make traffic stops safer

Massachusetts' new Blue Envelope Program aims to improve communication between people on the autism spectrum and police officers.

These envelopes are specially designed to have all the information needed during a traffic stop. On the outside of the envelope, there are instructions to help guide both the police officer and the driver on the autism spectrum during their interaction, and space for the driver to share their emergency contact information. On the inside, the driver can store a copy of their driver's license and vehicle registration.

Advocates and police agree this simple tool can help during potentially stressful encounters. For police, the envelope's information can aid them in effectively and safely serving their community. For people on the autism spectrum, they can feel better prepared and safer on the roads.

“All people with autism have social differences — differences in how they interact socially — and that can lead to misunderstandings. When they occur in the context of a traffic stop, social misunderstandings can lead to misinterpretations and the risk for bias,” Dr. Chris Keary, a psychiatrist at the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital, told GBH’s All Things Considered host Arun Rath.

“Examples of this might be social differences that are interpreted as reason to be suspicious, or that somebody is altered in some way from drug of abuse or medication. This is a concern that may be compounded for autistic drivers who are Black or Latino,” Keary added. “So the importance of the Blue Envelope Program is that it allows for some context for the officers when they see social differences to understand that these are related to autism.”

The program was designed in partnership between the Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts and The Arc of Massachusetts.

“The Blue Envelope is a game changer for our family,” Ilyse Levine-Kanji, an AFAM Executive Committee member, said in a statement announcing the program. “My 25-year-old son, Sam, has autism and is a very safe driver. However, like most people with autism, Sam doesn’t have any physical characteristics that would alert a Trooper that he has autism in case of a traffic stop or accident. The Blue Envelope would alert law enforcement of Sam’s autism diagnosis, thereby decreasing the chances of any tragic misunderstanding.”

Keary emphasized that participation in the Blue Envelope Program is not mandatory for drivers with autism.

“Each person with autism needs to think about whether this program is right for them, and they can select it and choose it themselves. It involves disclosure, and disclosure should always be up to the person with autism,” Keary said.

Printed on the envelope are tips for officers, including:

• Allow driver extra time to respond to your questions. They may have difficulty interpreting and processing your directions.
• Speak clearly and limit unnecessary details or jargon.
• Driver may exhibit signs of high anxiety, especially due to bright lights and sounds such as your radio.

Also printed on the envelope are tips for drivers, including:

• Keep your hands on the steering wheel until otherwise directed.
• When the officer gets to your car, you may tell them that you have a blue envelope.
• You may ask the officer to consider calling your emergency contact.

You can request a free blue envelope online or in person at any Massachusetts State Police barracks.

Similar programs have rolled out across the country. Connecticut, for example, launched a statewide blue envelope program in 2020. While many have praised the effort there, some residents and police noted the timing of the pandemic complicated the rollout. They say it will take continued effort to make police departments and residents aware of the program.

Read the full transcript below.

Being pulled over by the police is enough to ruin anyone's commute but for people on the autism spectrum, it can be an especially stressful experience. That's why the Massachusetts State Police are rolling out the Blue Envelope Program. The initiative is meant to provide a more understanding environment for drivers on the spectrum during a traffic stop. The concept is simple: drivers place their important documents, like their license and registration, into a specially designed blue envelope that communicates to the police that the driver has autism. GBH's All Things Considered host Arun Rath discussed the impact this program can have for people on the autism spectrum with Dr. Chris Keary, a psychiatrist at the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Arun Rath: So before we dive into the specifics of this program, give us a bit more background about how people on the autism spectrum might experience a stressful situation like being pulled over by the police.

Dr. Chris Keary: Well, first, it's important to recognize that people with autism can be safe and careful drivers. There's a wide range of experience in terms of people with autism, from individuals who have intellectual impairment and require assistance with all basic self-care to people who don't have any intellectual disability or intellectual impairment as part of their autism. These individuals may be college students, parents, artists, scientists, full time workers, and leaders in their field. Even only about half of individuals with autism have an intellectual impairment as a co-occurring aspect. So it's important to recognize that people with autism can be careful, conscientious, safe drivers. But all people with autism have social differences, differences in how they interact socially, and that can lead to misunderstandings. When they occur in the context of a traffic stop, social misunderstandings can lead to misinterpretations and the risk for bias. Examples of this might be social differences that are interpreted as reason to be suspicious, or that somebody is altered in some way from drug of abuse or medication. This is a concern that may be compounded for autistic drivers who are Black or Latino. So the importance of the blue envelope program is that it allows for some context for the officers when they see social differences, to understand that these are related to autism.

Rath: And then talk us through that interaction and how the blue envelope can make things easier.

Keary: Well, it's first of all helpful to have all that documentation in one place. As you said with the Blue Envelope program, autistic drivers are encouraged to have copies of their license and their registration available in the blue envelope, and then have the envelope in a readily usable location for them to provide for law enforcement. There's also a way in which it's just helpful whether or not someone participates in the blue envelope program or not, as an autistic driver, to just think about this interaction beforehand. Interactions with law enforcement is an often unappreciated aspect of learning to drive. We tend to think about needing to know the rules of the road and getting enough hours of experience behind the wheel. When I think about the fact that even safe drivers sometimes have these interactions with police, and so thinking through what that interaction is going to look like, that you'll be asked to provide this documentation. There may be a period of time you're asked to wait while that documentation is reviewed. There may be sensory experiences there that may be hard for people on the spectrum. For instance, the flashing lights, siren, a loud radio or flashlight that's used by the officer looking through the cabin of the automobile. With all of these experiences, talking through them beforehand can be immensely helpful for autistic drivers in terms of knowing what to expect and having the process be as streamlined as possible. The blue envelope also has an emergency contact if individuals with autism were overwhelmed by the experience, they can request that the law enforcement contact their emergency contact for some additional support in that situation to reduce the risk for social misunderstandings. So there are a lot of ways in which this can be very helpful. The program is not a mandate. Each person with autism needs to think about whether this program is right for them, and they can select it and choose it themselves. It involves disclosure, and disclosure should always be up to the person with autism. However, it could be an immensely helpful support for many Massachusetts drivers with autism.

Rath: On the other side of the interaction, the police officers, what's involved in training them to make sure that they know how to carry out this interaction?

Keary: Well, the Blue Envelope Program is a partnership between the Massachusetts State Police and autism advocacy organizations. So it's already off the bat, a recognition that people who have social differences can still be safe, effective, and conscientious drivers. That's an important recognition with the program, as well as the fact that social differences are part of autism and not something that necessarily needs to be a cause of concern for an officer when they have that context printed on the envelope are a couple of useful tips for officers that can be helpful in interactions with some people with autism. Some of those tips include ideas like, using clear communication and calmness. It's important to remember for many with autism, they might miss non-verbal communication, communication that's part of body language and that's not expressly said out loud. So it's helpful for officers to know, to verbally communicate and not assume that their body language communicates something per se. Also, the ways in which people with autism might have differences in processing information, to be patient around that, maybe taking some time to respond to questions, and also that these sensory experiences I talked about, things like flashing lights or loud noise like a radio can be things that can be stressful. In the state of Massachusetts, training academies for police will have specific trainings for interactions with people with autism and with developmental disabilities. Those are new initiative and the blue envelope allows officers to draw up on that training. We hope that as more officers see these blue envelopes, that there will be more of an effort towards continuing to educate law enforcement, including those who are farther out from their training time in the academy, and that such trainings will be available nationwide.

Rath: Well, I was going to ask you about the use of this more broadly nationwide or even beyond the state police to local police departments.

Keary: Yeah, we hope that it will be. It seems to me a very important program to reduce a lot of the stress around this aspect of driving and to help equal the playing field as well as to make driving more available for people with autism who have all the intellectual capabilities to be good drivers. But challenges related to traffic stops might put them at risk. To help provide support in those situations, many states are already implementing programs like this. It'd be great to see it more implemented nationwide.

Rath: And is there any possibility of thinking beyond driving interactions? I'm familiar with a story of a young man with autism who was arrested by the police. This was outside in a case of mistaken identity and things didn't go well. For just on the beat in other locations, are there ways in which this program could be expanded farther?

Keary: That's why these trainings that are available to officers are so important. It's an important thing to remember that law enforcement in general oftentimes may need to interact with people with autism or people with other developmental disabilities that might include intellectual disability, for instance. [They need to know] ways to interact in these contexts, whether it's in a traffic stop or whether it's a home visit, for instance, how to use de-escalation techniques to keep these situations as safe and calm and streamlined as possible. That's a very useful skill set for officers who in many ways have been doing this work for long periods of time. There's a lot of interest in this Blue Envelope program. Many local police barracks have already run out of envelopes, actually, and are looking to print more. So it looks like there's going to be a lot of implementation of this program and I think that that moves a step in the right direction, for interactions in general between autism and law enforcement.

Rath: Dr. Keary, this is fascinating and important. Thank you so much.

Keary: Thank you.