In recognition of International Disability Day, GHJ Chief Strategy Officer and Autism Society of Los Angeles Board Member Mari-Anne Kehler sat down with two leaders that are shaping Los Angeles' approach to supporting individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and mental health conditions.
Kim Sinclair, executive director of the Autism Society of Los Angeles (ASLA), has spent more than a decade leading education, advocacy and community support initiatives informed by her lived experience as the parent of a son with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
Detective III Elizabeth Reyes serves with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mental Evaluation Unit (LAPD MEU), a nationally recognized co-response model pairing officers with Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinicians. As the Officer-in-Charge of the MEU’s Training Unit, she oversees the Department’s in-service mental health training, helping officers build the skills needed to engage safely and effectively with vulnerable community members.
Mari-Anne is a long-standing disability advocate whose work is shaped by caring for her profoundly autistic adult son and by her own experience with multiple invisible disabilities. For almost three decades, she has guided families, educators, clinicians and community partners through the disability transition-to-adulthood journey, offering guidance, compassion and practical insight.
Mari-Anne led the group in discussion on the purpose of the ASLA–LAPD training partnership, the changing landscape of crisis response and the outcomes that continue to shape this work.
Q&A WITH THE EXPERTS
Q: Can you describe the ASLA–LAPD training program and its goals?
Kim Sinclair:
With an estimated 5.4 million adults and approximately 1.5 million children diagnosed with autism in the U.S., interactions between police officers and individuals with autism are inevitable. ASLA’s goal is to improve the outcomes of those interactions. Many children and adults find themselves out in their communities alone due to wandering or eloping, and this only increases the likelihood of police involvement.
Our training ensures that when officers do engage, they have real-world context, tools and scenarios to help them navigate the moment safely. Because we have a seat at the table with MEU, we collaborate directly with officers to bring education that emphasizes lived experience and practical strategies. The ultimate goal is safety, dignity and better outcomes for everyone involved.
Detective Reyes:
Our goals align closely with ASLA’s. Back in 2007, LAPD recognized the need for deeper, more consistent training, especially as encounters with vulnerable populations increased. Many individuals we meet in crisis have dual diagnoses — a mental health condition and an intellectual or developmental disability — which requires a specialized and informed response.
The LAPD’s Mental Health Intervention Training is a 40-hour course, certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), required for officers across the department. We train personnel from lieutenants to officers, and ASLA provides a 90-minute block focused specifically on intellectual and developmental disabilities every time the course is delivered — about 25 times per year. Officers learn to recognize behaviors, understand communication needs and practice interventions that reduce unnecessary hospitalization or incarceration. This training helps officers make informed decisions in seconds when responding to a crisis.
Q: Why is including lived experience in the training so important?
Kim Sinclair:
Every primary or co-presenter involved in this program has lived experience; either they have autism or they love someone who does. That perspective changes everything. It moves the training from theoretical to real, letting officers hear directly how their actions impact individuals and families. This creates empathy, understanding and a clearer sense of how to support someone in distress.
Detective Reyes:
Officers ask meaningful questions when they can speak with someone living the experience. Those conversations break stigma and deepen understanding.
Kim and Detective Reyes:
We also incorporate interactive exercises to simulate processing delays or sensory challenges, allowing officers to feel what community members may experience. This hands-on approach builds skills that translate directly to the field.
Q: What outcomes have you seen as a result of this training?
Kim Sinclair:
We hear many stories about safer, calmer outcomes. These trainings often reduce potential violence and allow situations to be resolved without escalation. In addition, departments across the country have come in to observe the MEU program to integrate it into their own practices, helping to drive awareness to this critical training.
Detective Reyes:
I have seen a remarkable shift in openness. Many officers share their own family connections to autism or mental health conditions, which deepens empathy. More than 6,200 LAPD officers have completed this training since 2014, and the skills they learn — understanding processing time, recognizing behavior patterns and practicing patience — follow them throughout their careers, across all types of assignments.
Q: Why is partnership between police departments and community organizations essential?
Kim Sinclair:
The partnership works because we share one goal: improving the outcomes of interactions between law enforcement and individuals with disabilities. This training has a profound impact on officers, equipping them with essential knowledge and skills to respond to crisis situations and improve resolutions.
Detective Reyes:
Officers often encounter individuals whose families are unsure where to turn or who lack access to social services. Community partnerships ensure that officers know available resources, can prevent unnecessary hospitalization or incarceration and can connect people to the right supports. Every department should engage with local organizations — these relationships directly influence outcomes during crisis moments.
PARTNERING TO BUILD SAFER COMMUNITIES
The collaboration between ASLA and the LAPD Mental Evaluation Unit demonstrates what is possible when law enforcement and community organizations learn from one another. Through training grounded in empathy, lived experience and practical tools, thousands of officers are better equipped to respond to crisis situations with clarity and compassion.
As disability prevalence continues to grow, so does the importance of these partnerships. By investing in education, communication and community connection, programs like this strengthen safety, dignity and understanding — not just for individuals with disabilities, but for the entire community.
MORE ABOUT THE PROFESSIONALS
![]() | Kim Sinclair brings more than 30 years of experience in both corporate and nonprofit environments. Her career includes Fortune 100 experience in business and information technology and contributions to a number of nonprofit organizations in the Los Angeles area. Since 2015, Kim has led the Autism Society of Los Angeles (ASLA) as the Executive Director, empowering individuals with disabilities, their families, and professionals through advocacy, education and community support to ensure an equitable quality of life for all. Prior to her role at ASLA, Kim was no stranger to the developmental disability community; she has a personal mission to enable all people to "live their best life." Her son Ryan helped her navigate the disability community from a medical, educational and social perspective for the past 20 years. Kim has a Bachelor of Science in Computing and Bachelor of Business in Accounting from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and she earned her MBA from Baylor University, Waco, Texas. |
![]() | Detective Elizabeth Reyes began her career with the City of Los Angeles as a Legal Clerk at the City Attorney’s Office in 1999, where she first worked alongside LAPD officers. She joined the LAPD in 2001, serving in various roles, including five years with the MEU, Crisis Response Support Section, where she discovered her passion for crisis intervention. During this time, she also earned her bachelor's and master’s degrees in criminal justice. She returned to the MEU in 2019 as a Detective Supervisor and currently serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the MEU Training Unit at the rank of Detective III. Detective Reyes oversees the development and delivery of the LAPD’s in-service mental health training in response to persons with mental illness and/or intellectual developmental disabilities, including the coordination of the Department’s Mental Health Intervention Training (MHIT). She reviews and updates Department policies regarding interactions with individuals in crisis/who have a mental illness and represents the Department in related litigation. An active Peer Support Program member since 2014, she advocates for self-care and wellness at MHIT, sharing personal experiences to reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage open conversations. In 2025, Detective Reyes was appointed to the Board of the International Co-Responder Alliance (ICRA) and is honored to support and advance the critical work of co-responder teams worldwide. |


