RICHMOND, Va. — For the second year in a row, an immersive experience brought the Richmond community together through inclusivity. The Autism Society of Central Virginia and the Richmond Police Department hosted a free Sensory Friendly First Responder Safety Seminar on Saturday.
Children and teens with autism had the opportunity to collaborate with first responders, engaging in real-world scenarios at the Richmond Police Training Academy.
Officers showed the audience various situations, such as what to do if they are pulled over while driving or stopped while walking.
The seminar also taught valuable lessons on how and when to make a 911 call and what steps to take in the event of a fire.
Autism Society of Central Virginia Executive Director Ann Flippin said participants broke into small groups to take part in a variety of activities like how to call 911 as well as opportunities to practice things like traffic and pedestrian stops.
"One of the main goals of this seminar is to promote safety between officers and individuals with autism, teach them tips and skills and communication strategies to make sure everyone stays safe and accommodated and to break down those misunderstandings that can happen in situations," Flippin explained.
Flippin said the police department has become an "invaluable partner."
"We're so grateful for the opportunity to bring individuals with autism, their families together with officers and really practice interactions and get to know each other," Flippin said.
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Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards explained that participants are not the only ones benefiting from these safety seminars.
"I'm hoping people understand that we're the police department for our entire community and that includes folks that are on the spectrum," Edwards said. "We want them to feel comfortable with us. And it's just as important for our officers to get that experience with folks who may be exhibiting some behavior, and on the face of it may look suspicious. But really it's just part of the autism spectrum."
Edwards said his son took part in last year's event.
"My son is 18 years old. He has autism. He's driving now," Edwards said. "When he started driving, I had those mock traffic stops with him to tell him how to interact with law enforcement. We came up with something that I think is a personal decision, but when he interacts with law enforcement, he'll explain to them that he has autism. It's on his driver's license, so they'll know about it, and he's gonna be very overt about it."
Edwards acknowledged that was a personal decision he and his family made.
"In our case, we felt that it would be best so that the officer can just understand that maybe a lack of eye contact or not answering the question fully may not be suspicious behavior. It might just be part of the issues that come with autism," Edwards said.
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