Blue Envelope decal will help responders, people with developmental disabilities

Published 12:00 am Monday, July 28, 2025

For first responders, it is sometimes difficult to know how to interact with people with developmental disabilities in an emergency situations.

To help with that, there is a new statewide effort called the Blue Envelope Program that helps police and EMS.

On Monday, the Lawrence County Developmental Disabilities (LCDD) will host the Lawrence County Sheriff’s office and local first responders in its first Train-the-Trainer event in conjunction with the Ohio Blue Envelope Project.

The key part of the program is the Blue Envelope itself. The envelope has space on the outside for information about the driver’s or passenger’s disability and/or medical conditions. 

A copy of an ID/driver’s license, vehicle registration, and vehicle insurance card can be kept inside the envelope, which would be handed to a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop. Having this information in one place makes it easier to communicate with officers and reduces anxiety during a traffic stop.

The second piece of the program is the Blue Envelope car decal. The three-inch decal features the program logo and can be placed on a vehicle’s windows to discreetly communicate to law enforcement and first responders that the occupants participate in the Blue Envelope Program.

“When they see the decal, the first responder will know that a person in the car may have a developmental disability which could impeded their ability to communicate or that they have sensory issues with the lights and the sirens,” said Monica Schwab, the LCDD’s Community Outreach coordinator.

Free Blue Envelope packets are now available at the Lawrence County Board of Developmental Disabilities administrative office, 604 Carlton Davidson Lane, Coal Grove. It can be picked up Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 

For more information about Ohio’s Blue Envelope Program, contact us at 740-532-7401 or visit www.lawrencedd.org.