Metro Board Approves Survey To Improve Transit For Riders With Developmental Disabilities

The Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors has approved a motion to gather community input on how to improve transportation services for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.

The initiative, authored by Director Holly J. Mitchell and co-authored by Directors Katy Yaroslavsky, Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, James Butts, Tim Sandoval, and Imelda Padilla, aims to identify short and long-term solutions and the respective funding required to make Metro’s system more accessible and responsive to the needs of neurodiverse riders.

“It’s important that we co-create the survey with trusted community organizations who work closely with our neurodiverse communities to ensure we capture feedback that reflects lived experiences and leads to meaningful improvements on our transit system,” said Holly J. Mitchell, Metro Board Director and Los Angeles County Supervisor, Second District.

The survey will be developed in partnership with key stakeholder groups that directly represent and help serve residents with autism and other developmental disabilities, including the Special Needs Network, The Wiley Center, and the Aging and Disability Transportation Network. Metro plans to use the collected feedback to report back with recommendations by November 2025.

Metro Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Wiggins expressed support for the initiative, stating, “We appreciate this Board motion that will allow us to better understand how those with autism and other developmental disabilities experience Metro. Making our system more accessible to those with autism, will help us make our system more accessible to everyone.”

The recommendations from the survey will build upon Metro’s existing initiatives for enhancing the ridership experience for people with disabilities. These include Metro’s Coordinated Plan, Section 5310 Program, and the Office of Civil Rights management of ADA compliance.

Areva Martin, President and Chief Executive Officer at Special Needs Network, praised the motion as “a critical step toward creating a safer, more responsive public transportation system for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. There is a long-standing gap in how we support vulnerable riders, and a countywide survey is the right move. It centers the voices of those most impacted and helps us build real, lasting solutions rooted in lived experience and equity. We’re proud to support Supervisor Mitchell’s leadership in making our systems more inclusive and humane.”