Jacque Bucher, wearing lei and denim shorts, with State Senator Danielle Bass, Founder and CEO of Malama Pono Autism Center Matt Brink, and first responders at the Autism Awareness and Community Safety event in Mililani .
The Hawaiʻi Pacific University Criminal Justice program is proud to recognize Jacqueline "Jacque" Bucher, a candidate for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice, for translating graduate-level scholarship into meaningful community service.
As part of her graduate work, Bucher has focused on improving interactions between first responders and neurodivergent individuals, particularly children on the autism spectrum. Her work has included developing curriculum and providing training to military police, as well as creating an Autism Emergency "Glove-Box" information form that families and caregivers can keep readily available in a vehicle, home, or other accessible location. The resource is designed to provide first responders with critical information about an individual's communication style, sensory needs, behaviors, and safety concerns. This information can be particularly important during emergencies involving elopement or when an individual is reported missing.
On Oct. 3, Bucher brought that work directly into the community by organizing an Autism Awareness and Community Safety event in Mililani, bringing neurodivergent children and their families together with first responders in a welcoming, sensory-aware environment. Honolulu police and firefighters, Schofield Barracks military police, and Wheeler Army Airfield firefighters were among the participating first responders. The event gave keiki (children) an opportunity to meet first responders, see their uniforms and equipment, ask questions, and begin building familiarity and trust before an emergency occurs.
The event also created an important opportunity for first responders to hear directly from families about communication preferences, sensory needs, experiences, and concerns that can affect emergency encounters.
Left, Jennifer Merkle, J.D., assistant professor of criminal justice, and Jacque Bucher.
"This is precisely the kind of applied scholarship and community engagement that we hope to foster through HPU's Criminal Justice graduate program," said Jennifer Merkle, J.D., assistant professor of criminal justice. "We are extraordinarily proud to have Bucher as a member of our HPU Criminal Justice community and fully support her continuing work to make interactions between first responders and neurodivergent individuals safer, more informed, and more compassionate."
