New Initiative Aims To Make Indianapolis Autism Friendly

A new initiative aims to make Indianapolis, in its words, “the safest place to live, work and visit for those on the autism spectrum.” 

District 5 Indianapolis City County Councilor Ali Brown leads the Indy Autism Project. She has a young son on the spectrum.

"When you’re different and people who are neurodiverse are dealing with this every day, the world is just not made for them," Brown said. 

The effort will focus on five pillars -- public safety, workforce development, parks, mass transit and hospitality. Brown said one of the first steps will be training for law enforcement officers.

"Each officer will go through certification," Brown said. "The entire department is going to work towards accreditation."

The project will also work with Easterseals to improve hiring and workplace environments. And through this project, Indy Go will be the first accredited masstransit organization in the country.

Brown said hospitality and tourism will be a focus.

"Visit Indy is going to build out a site to highlight all these amazing things, like Lucas Oil, where we had our press conference today, is a sensory certified location," Brown said. 

Brown said a majority of families with children on the spectrum forgo vacations because of the difficulty of traveling.

She asked people and businesses to reach out and find ways to expand.