East Bay couple’s foundation provides support to families living with autism

By Sharon Chin

The Autism Society says one in five people on the spectrum have been stopped by police by the time they’re 21 years old. But most states don’t require officers to have specific training in how to respond.

A Fremont couple is working to change that.

Kerry Rich and Mizpah Brown-Rich are walking alongside families living with autism. The husband and wife remember how heart-wrenching it was when their son, Joshua, was diagnosed years ago at the age of 2.

“Kerry and I dealt with the news differently,” Brown-Rich said. “He locked himself in a bedroom for three days.”

“I was just wondering,’ Why? Why? Why?’ I was pretty angry,” explained Rich.

Brown-Rich continued, “I remember when he came out of the bedroom, I looked into his eyes and he said, ‘Babe, this kid is a gift to us. Let’s roll up our sleeves and go to work for him.'”

The couple founded Joshua’s Gift in 2017 to provide connection and support for people with intellectual and developmental challenges and their families. For years, the nonprofit organized support groups, social events, and holiday toy and backpack giveaways.

But then, a frightening experience prompted the couple to do more. Brown-RIch was at a police station out of town to pick up her lost wallet when the officer misinterpreted innocent behavior of Joshua, then aged 19.

“Joshua was standing at the side of me, came into the officer’s view, and came to give me a big hug, and the officer immediately stopped and went for his gun,” she said. “And I took Joshua, and brushed him behind me, I just kept looking at him in shock.”

After that, the couple began to educate first responders on how to be more sensitive in communicating with people on the spectrum.

With the support of the community, including the Golden State Warriors, they’ve trained more than 3,000 officers, from local law enforcement to members of the Department of Justice.

The nonprofit has also teamed up with Fremont police to launch Code Joshua, a first-of-its-kind autism emergency alert registry.

Lt. Calvin Tang said families voluntarily provide specific information about their loved one – like what triggers and calms them — so officers can use that to keep everyone safe.

“Approach, expected behaviors, triggers and sensitivities. Those are all things that we want to know,” Tang explained.

A few hundred people have signed up since Code Joshua started in April.

At that time, Eric and Elizabeth Kunze told CBS News Bay Area they were eager to register their son, Brady, who’s autistic and deaf.

“With Code Joshua, we feel safer, and it’s OK, the community’s going to support him,” said Elizabeth Kunze.

Tang added, “Kerry and Mizpah are inspirational because they are truly the very essence of what we call community leaders.”

Rich said long-term, the hope is to expand Code Joshua throughout California and the nation. That includes adding a 24-hour hotline with a behavioral analyst available, so law enforcement can have access to more help in an emergency.

The couple says its gift to the community is the hope of saving lives.

“It’s a win-win. We give the information, the training, and everybody can go home safely. That’s what we want,” said Rich.

“I feel so blessed to be able to be put into a position like this – to be able to extend ourselves to other families,” added Brown-Rich.

For supporting families living with intellectual and developmental challenges through Joshua’s Gift and Code Joshua, this week’s CBS News Bay Area ICON Award goes to Kerry Rich and Mizpah Brown-Rich.