The Newton Police Department is making available Autism Awareness Seatbelt Shields, at no cost, at the front desk of Police Headquarters (1321 Washington Street, West Newton). On Friday, April 28 at 4PM, there will be a ceremony there celebrating the unveiling of the design of these new shields.
The Autism Seatbelt Shield can be wrapped around a car seatbelt, a plane seatbelt, and many other things that have a strap. It was designed by Ginny Gardner, Bruce Apotheker, and Terry Sauro and funded by Chief Carmichael.
Special-needs advocate Terry Sauro explained the background of the shield: “About 6 months ago, I had seen a post on Facebook about an autism shield in California, and said I wished we had one in Massachusetts. [Middlesex County Sheriff] Peter Koutoujian responded immediately with “Let’s do it,” and we formulated a team. In one of those meetings, Ginny Gardner, Bruce Apotheker, and myself said we would continue working it statewide, but we wanted to make it happen in Newton right away. We met with Chief Carmichael, who helped with the design and offered financial support for the project. The Autism Shield can be used on any seatbelts, airplane seatbelts, luggage straps, etc. Having a child on the spectrum sometimes means meltdowns and a lot of stares from people wondering what is going on with that child — and this shield will bring awareness. If there is a car accident and a child is strapped in the seat, this shield will bring attention that this child might need a different approach than a typical child for taking them out of their seat. Chief Carmichael stated all police officers and first responders will now have visual awareness to a child that may need a different approach.”
