Jo has lived and worked in western Massachusetts since the late 1990s, arriving fresh out of New York City’s Hunter College School of Social Work where she focused on homelessness policy, prison reform, and earned an MSW.
For people with autism spectrum disorder, encounters with police can be fraught. My bill (S.2285, An Act facilitating better interactions between police officers and persons with autism spectrum disorder) provides for a state-approved blue envelope to be used voluntarily by people with autism spectrum disorder while driving. The envelope will hold a license and drivers registration information, with best practices written on the exterior of the envelope for police officers when interacting with people with autism spectrum disorder. The bill is modeled after a similar successful initiative in Connecticut.