The MTA pulled out all the stops during an outing on Wednesday for New York City kids with autism.
The agency organized a group of more than a dozen children at Grand Central Terminal, giving them a chance to drive trains using sophisticated simulators and check out a vintage bus.
The event was part of the MTA’s celebration of Autism Awareness Month, which it honors every year. The transit agency, which runs the largest mass transit system in the United States, has many devoted followers with autism. NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said events like the one at Grand Central Terminal are a chance to make them feel seen.
”Every year we try to carve out some time to do something special,” Crichlow said. “These kids are our biggest fans and so it's a way to be able to give back but also to show appreciation for how we are all different and all similar at the same time.”
The event was organized by the MTA and INCLUDEnyc, a nonprofit that advocates for children with disabilities and their families.
“[These are] things that really celebrate some of their really specific interests, but also acknowledge that they're part of this wonderful city,” said Chantall Lowe, senior director of partner and community engagement at INCLUDEnyc.
In the simulation room, kids settled into plush operator seats with a train route on each screen in front of them. These are the same machines the MTA uses to train its conductors and engineers. The kids got to learn how to operate the controls, recognize the signals, and play through real-world scenarios.
“We get to give them the experience of what it's like to operate a real train,” said Thomas Della Bella, who oversees Metro-North's train simulator. “A lot of kids come in and they already know how to operate the train, and it's shocking because when we hire new employees, sometimes it takes a minute to get them comfortable.”
Many of the kids said they were already familiar with how to drive a train.
“I'm ready for this. I've been driving MTA buses on the computer,” said Kai Dumont, 9, a student at Richard Stockton Elementary School.
His father, Sheldon Dumont, said this event was a great opportunity for Kai, who runs train and bus simulators on Roblox every day.
“I could just see the joy on his face and now, he will not stop talking about it. I can tell,” Sheldon Dumont said.
Kai’s interest in the event was straightforward: “The exciting thing is that I love trains,” he said.
“These children probably know more about trains than we do, to be honest,” said Cheyrelle Cruikshank, executive director of INCLUDEnyc. “So this is really an opportunity for them to just embrace something that they love and for them to enjoy it. And what better place than Grand Central, the middle of New York?”
The MTA’s keeps changing up its programming for Autism Awareness Month. In 2023, the agency gave kids a chance to narrate subway announcements.
“The event this year has morphed into more of different experiences,” Lowe said. "Kids with autism, many of them really love all things transit. [We wanted to] incorporate something that brings out that joy in a really special and meaningful way."
