((PKG)) AUTISTIC TRANSIT PROJECT
((TRT: 07:57))
((Topic Banner: Autism Transit Project))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main characters: 0 female; 8 male))
((Sub characters: 4 female; 0 male))
((Blurb:
When his personal life was touched by autism, Jonathan Trichter made a career change, beginning a small program in New York, which has grown into the fastest growing special needs platform in the country. This led to the Autism Transit Project, where autistic kids got to write and record subway announcements to be played as part of Autism Awareness Month.))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
The first part of my career was largely finance. A little bit of Wall Street, a lot of corporate restructuring and venture capital. Some success, lots of failures. And this is probably my greatest success. I'm pretty sure it'll be the first line of my obituary. ((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
My personal life was touched by autism and it was at a pivotal moment in my career when I was looking to do something else more impactful, and I fell in love with it. We started, it was a passion play, a small program in New York, and it took off. Now it's a medium-sized program in New York, and in September, it'll be two programs in New York. And then we open in Connecticut and then Washington. And now we're growing. We are arguably the fastest growing special needs platform in the Northeast, if not the country.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
For a long time, special needs kiddos were neglected, and then they were warehoused
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
and left to their own devices and modern therapies and techniques. We know that these children can advance and could become more independent and access a greater piece of the human experience and participate in civic life, you know, at a higher level. So our mission is to do just that, to push these kids, advance them, give them the opportunity to fail, because only with that opportunity can they possibly succeed. It treats them with dignity and treats them equally and gives them every chance to partake in the human experiment. So that is our mission.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
We perform a number of therapies, special ed[ucation] instruction that helps these kids be regulated and matriculated into
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
living their most independent and most accessible lives.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
So we've now opened four schools. One of them is
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
in New York City called, the Foundry Learning Center.
We have one in the state of Connecticut called, Hubbard Day.
We have one in the state of Washington called, Emerald Learning, and we're opening up
a second in September in Queens, also New York, and that's called, Foundry 613.
And the 613 has to do with the ratio of staff to students.
((Thomas))
242nd street. 238th street. 234th street. Marble Hill. 225th Street.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
When you're around kids with autism, you're familiar with this phenomenon, where they perseverate, which is a fancy word for focusing intensely on things that neuro-typical people find asocial. And this can often be feats of mechanical engineering that we encounter every day. This is especially true of mass transit and trains. And so, that combined with the fact that these same children
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
don't come to language naturally, like neuro-typical children do, they will grasp onto phrases that they hear in places where they're focused. And as a result, it's not unusual
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
for the first full sentence that a child utters to be something they hear in a train station. In New York, it might be, "Stand clear of the closing doors." From there, it was not a great leap for me during Autism Awareness Month, to ask the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] last year,
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
if they'd allow these kids to record their own versions of the announcements they hear. And to their credit, the MTA agreed. That made a bit of news. We then went out larger to other mass transit agencies in large urban areas.
((NATS))
((Subway Announcer))
Stand clear of the closing doors, please.
((NATS))
((Morgan))
If you see someone at risk of falling onto the tracks, please get help immediately. Tell a police officer or an MTA employee. Be safe and happy Autism Awareness Month.
When Jonathan made the project started last year, I was so into it. I was ready.
((Elliot))
Hi, my name is Elliot. I'm 11 years old.
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
Thank you, MTA for letting me use my assistive communication device to make an announcement during Autism Awareness Month. The MTA works hard to keep our stations and tracks clean. You can help too. Please take trash with you and use the garbage cans on the platform. Thank you for riding with MTA New York City Transit.
((Elliot’s Mom))
He's very proud of his own voice.
((Raphael’s Mother))
It gets exciting for Rafael to be able to share his love of trains with others. For him, it's not just a way of getting from place to place, but he enjoys the planning, finding out the timing of the trains, and kind of estimating…
((Rafael))
…the models.
((Raphael’s Mother))
…the models. He was sharing his interest about the latest train model with another boy in the other room.
((Benjamin))
Please keep hands and feet away from doors at all times. Make sure not to litter or else critters will come. Please be safe and have a happy New Year Day. Bye. Have a good day.
((Benjamin’s Mom))
That was excellent.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
One thing that surprised me as I did this project and went around to the launch events that these transit agencies hosted
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
was that, a few times, staff from the transit agency would attend in their own personal time. And they approached me and confessed that they were on the spectrum and they turned their disability into a career advantage.
((NATS))
((Thomas))
Hi. This is Thomas. I'm nine years old. Thank you MTA for letting me make an announcement as part of Autism Awareness Month. I want to work in all shops and I also want to really, really be a driver, especially the R211 subway cars that are now in revenue testing on the A Line.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
Well, it's also the case that there are some countries and cities around the world with state-of-the-art mass transit systems that, you know, put ours to shame, but with more mixed histories on how they treat their disabled communities.
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
This would be a great project for them to roll out in their train stations to help spread awareness in more understanding and tolerance of those who are neuro-divergent in those cities and countries. And I have every reason to believe, including faith, that in places like Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, and other places like that, that their transportation officials would embrace this project.
((NATS/SOT/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
((Conductor))
Go, hit the horn.
((NATS/SOT))
Exactly…Dyckman, 200 street.
((Thomas’ Mom))
I think there are all these positive feelings that, you know, when we're talking about the supports they need or awareness, it's all about like the hard things. But that love and that joy is so strong, as strong as any of the other negative feelings might be. And I don't think people get to experience that, and they should. Just like find an autistic friend and let them take you to their favorite place and you will never have a better day in your life.
((Courtesy: Jonathan Trichter))
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
Well, my hope for the Autism Transit Project, I would like it to different but similar and no less to the widest possible audience. And of course, broadcasting them and showcasing them in places where they're comfortable, like train stations where hundreds of thousands of passengers who are neuro-typical but might not think of the neural-typical communities, often will hear them, and for a moment, stop and realize all of that.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
For the kids that go to my schools are a good life, a good instruction, self-confidence, real core capabilities.
I want to them learn how to read, write, and be autonomous. I want them to have a career path. I want them to love. I want them to be loved, and I want them to be part of the human experience and feel confident in participating in it.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
Did you have a good time? You do it again next year?
((Thomas))
Yes.
((Jonathan Trichter
Creator, Autism Transit Project; Co-founder, Foundry Learning Center))
All right. I like it. Next year they're going to let you drive the train.
((Thomas))
Yeah, yeah.
((NATS/MUSIC))