ATLANTA — You might have heard their voices booming throughout MARTA stations over the last few weeks: 18 kids from around metro Atlanta, who recorded the announcements for MARTA trains.
It was part of a MARTA initiative for Autism Awareness Month in April, which played the announcements at all 38 rail stations in the system.
This week the the transit agency hosted a big party and rail yard tour for the participants at the Armour Yard facility.
young voices you heard on marta trains celebrated with their families and creator of autism transit project
"They use those announcements that they hear, train service announcements, as security blankets," said Jonathan Trichter, the creator of the Autism Transit Project. "It means a lot to them to be able to repeat those and have regular transit riders at MARTA hear them doing them, so that transit riders throughout Atlanta can just for a moment during Autism Acceptance Month come to understand that these children are different but similar, and no less."
Similar initiatives were done by the public transit systems in New York, Washington and the San Francisco Bay Area.
“According to autism professionals, a train’s spinning wheels, the various types and models of trains, and the strict scheduling of train service are all features that can greatly appeal to an individual with ASD,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said in a statement last month. “We at MARTA share an enthusiasm for trains and are proud to feature the voices of those with ASD on our platforms."