I run a small network of schools for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In 2022, I organized a small project with the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority for Autism Awareness Month where children with ASD got to make public service announcements throughout the NYC subway system. In 2023, the project grew to include BART, MARTA, WMATA, and NJ Transit and drew wide media attention, including from The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, NPR national, GMA along with over a dozen local and regional news outlets in the cities where we ran the program.
The project has been tremendously popular with a reach and profile that has far extended beyond what we could have expected. Recently, we formed a 501c3 with an experienced board to further our ambitions.
Our goal is to build on what we have established to take our non-profit global by extending these announcements internationally and working in countries that may have state-of-the-art transit systems but mixed histories when it comes to caring for and accommodating those with neurological differences.
We anticipate this happening as soon as next year while also expecting to grow in the U.S. through an even larger list of participating transit systems. Ultimately, we aim to establish workforce partnerships with transit agencies to connect young adults with ASD to job opportunities that might provide them genuine careers and a pathway to financial independence—a huge challenge for people with ASD.
The Autism Transit Project is still well within its startup status yet has proven the concept and succeeded beyond all expectations. Our growth trajectory is steep, and we are therefore perfectly situated to raise money from those who support our efforts, believe in our cause and love children with autism as much as we do.
If you would like additional information, have interest in supporting us or have other ideas we should explore, we would be delighted to hear from you! We are passionate about helping people with autism and hope to connect with those who feel similarly.