Twenty-nine-year-old Ben Avchen is a filmmaker. He also has autism.
"I was diagnosed at two years and one month, and I didn't start talking 'til I was three years old. I feel my autism is actually something positive. While it is classified as a disorder or a disability, I don't see it that way," Avchen said.
Through years of therapy and special education, Avchen now lives a pretty normal life, but he still struggles with OCD and anxiety, which can be triggered during intense interactions with authorities.
"February 28th, 2017. I was driving home from college and I looked in my rearview mirror and I noticed that there was a cop car with the flashing lights," Avchen explained.
He tried to pull over but couldn’t find a spot for several minutes.
"So at that point, I'm kind of freaking out. I try to U-turn, but the cop blocks me. I’m kind of shaking, I’m anxious at this point. They're behind their doors with their guns drawn," he recalled.
After a few tense moments, the police told him he had a broken headlight and the encounter ended with a warning.
"And then it was afterwards that I was just ruminating about it for months," Avchen said.
He didn’t drive for weeks, and when he did, his anxiety was intense.
"It just had me shaken and that’s really hard for someone like me."
Encounters like that are something Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Ann Gordon hopes the Blue Envelope Program will address.
"For me, it's very personal. My stepbrother was autistic. So for me, it was a personal drive to honor him in that way and look at what things we could do differently in our community," Chief Gordon said.
She says the free program is a tool for non-verbal communication between police and neurodivergent people, where participants can hand an officer their blue envelope containing medical information or a written statement. In addition to the blue envelope, participants can get seat belt covers, a lanyard, bracelets, stickers for the back of your car, and even keychains to help identify that you might need a little extra help.
Avchen says a way to communicate non-verbally in times of stress would help a lot, especially for someone who maybe isn't as verbal or who has a slow speech impediment.
Chief Gordon says the program started in February and already has eight participants.
"Whether we reach eight, ten, 20, 100, just the fact we’ve already reached one makes the program a success," Chief Gordon said.
For more information or to sign up for the free program, visit https://santabarbaraca.gov/blue-envelope-program
Ben Avchen has a film coming out this fall about his life and autism. You can see the trailer at https://benavchen.wixsite.com/buzznben
