Bart Barta was inspired by his son’s autism diagnosis to create a national program for individuals with autism. Today, he is effectively changing the way that police officers understand this condition with a series of trainings held throughout the country. Based in St. Johns County, the retired police officer and commander has dedicated his life to teaching officers to recognize and respond to someone with autism through his company Autism Safety 101.
Barta says it’s important for officers to understand and be able to communicate with someone who has autism because it’s easy to misinterpret what they are trying to convey.
“I want Daniel to be safe, and other individuals to be safe when coming into contact with a law officer,” said Bart in a recent interview.
When able, Bart often brings his 19-year-old son, Daniel, to the trainings and allows him to engage with the officers and deputies. In addition, Bart has created a series of videos aimed at assisting individuals with autism to avoid being the victim of a crime and helping officers understand how to communicate effectively under stressful situations with an autistic citizen. This type of education can ensure that citizens with autism are respected, appreciated, and able to fully integrate into society.
One of the key aspects of the program that provides support to individuals and police officers is The Wallet Card, which can bring clarity to interactions between people with autism and police officers. Individuals on the autism spectrum can experience difficulty communicating as they would want to when stressful situations arise, such as being pulled over, or approached for displaying behaviors such as pacing or rocking that may be misunderstood by the untrained eye.
Bart hopes that the organization can become the number one source and provider of safety training for people living with autism spectrum disorder and to provide a greater understanding of autism for all first responders and community service providers.
And, it seems that he is well on his way. In October 2017, a new state law was enacted requiring the same training Barta is doing for all law enforcement officers in the state of Florida.
