A Mother Builds An Autism-Friendly Town w/ Layla Luna

A routine traffic stop. Flashing lights. A terrified autistic teen trapped in fight-or-flight. That moment could have ended in tragedy and instead it became Rio’s Law, a first-in-the-nation autism/neurodivergent identifier license plate designed to help first responders slow down, reduce sensory triggers, and keep everyone safe. We’re joined by Layla Luna, founder of Just Bee (JustBeBeeTheChange.com), to tell the full story behind the law and the bigger mission it serves.

We talk about what families actually live with when autism is invisible: the stares, the assumptions, the public meltdowns, and the way siblings can become “glass children” as the whole home revolves around regulation and safety. Layla breaks down the simplest shift that changes everything: stop trying to force the person to fit the environment and start adapting the environment to fit the person. That mindset powers sensory-friendly hours, autism training for businesses, and community events that include a real reset space like The Beehive, a mobile sensory trailer that helps families stay present instead of having to leave.

You’ll also hear how Mount Pleasant becomes the first certified autism-friendly town in the Lowcountry, why that work helps communities win on a national stage, and how Rio’s Law is expanding state by state with a push for mandatory first responder training. If you care about inclusion, disability rights, public safety, or practical ways to serve the neurodivergent community, this conversation offers a roadmap you can copy in your own town.

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Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce

Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪Pollen Social‬

Production Sponsor: RMBO.co

Design Sponsor: DK Design

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Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Podcast Committee | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director 
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | MPCC Marketing & Communications
Benjamin Nesvold | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

Transcript

Welcome And Just Be URL

Speaker 1 1:08

Welcome to the Building Business Podcast, powered by Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce. My name is Mike Compton, President of RMBO.co. I'll be your host today. We're here at the Charleston Media Solutions recording uh thanks to Viking Mergers and Acqusitions. Today we have a very special guest, a two-year-in-the-making guest today, Layla Luna. Say hello, Layla.

Speaker 2 1:33

Hello. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 1:34

Layla, what is your uh nonprofit called and what is the URL so our listeners can look it up while we talk?

Speaker 2 1:43

Oh, absolutely. My nonprofit is called just be, like a bumblebee, and it's just be JustBeeThechange.com.

Speaker 1 1:53

Love it.

Speaker 2 1:53

Or dot org.

From LA To Charleston

Speaker 1 1:54

What's your dot com or dot org or the both links? Yeah, good work. Somebody knows what they're doing there. Uh so Layla, you uh aren't originally from Charleston, are you? Like many of us aren't. I know Matt is, but he's one of the few special folk. Uh Matt's an engineer, by the way. But Layla, where are you from and how did you get to Charleston?

Speaker 2 2:14

Well, I'm actually born and raised in a town called Calabasas, California. So I'm from LA, and I l have lived there my whole life. And unfortunately, there was this thing called COVID. Yeah, that happened. After being in the entertainment industry for about 23 years, I was a professional dancer choreographer. So I had an incredible career touring and working with lots of celebrity artists. And but COVID came and I remember owning a dance studio, and they said, just go home for on March 14th for a week and a half to flatten the curve and then you'll be back. And we never went back. I was locked in the house for a year with my kids. And as I started to just hone in on social media and start meeting friends online, I learned of a place called Charleston in a very special movie called The Notebook. And I became obsessed. So after they lifted the restrictions, I came on a vacation and I came home and sold my house, packed up and said, I want to live there. I didn't know one person.

Speaker 1 3:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2 3:18

I just thought something was calling me here, and I figured I'm gonna go for it. I'm gonna get off that hamster off the wheel and I'm gonna make a change in my life. And if it works, it's gonna be amazing. If not, that will be the most expensive mistake I ever made in my whole entire life. But luckily it worked out, and I'm still here. The notebook, I swear it's true. The notebook brought me here.

Speaker 1 3:40

I heard this from other people before. I didn't think it was true, but now you're telling me like no people literally saw the notebook and the canoe.

Speaker 2 3:48

I mean, you love the swamp-looking canoe, like what's just it looks so beautiful, and I thought I've never, you know, when you're from California, when you think the South, I I would think of New Mexico, Texas, Arizona. Sure. I had no idea about South Carolina. I was like, where's South Carolina? And so I went to go visit, you know, and immediately the people, yeah, just just the water, the bridge, everything, the the flowers. I'm like, how could you ever be in a bad mood when it's so beautiful here? And I just love the people. And then came the food. So yeah.

Speaker 1 4:25

Right.

Speaker 2 4:26

The food is too good.

Speaker 1 4:27

Right. The livability is insane here, and especially you landed in Mount Pleasant.

Speaker 2 4:32

Yeah, I for me, I just kind of Googled. I met a woman online who was a real estate agent, and I said I wanted to move there. Where can I go? Um, my ask was I don't know if I should say this, but I was like, where are all the Jewish people? So they said, Go to Mount Pleasant. There's a Chabad there. So I kind of followed her lead and I didn't know, but I thought, Mount Pleasant, that just sounds so pleasant of a place to live. How could you go wrong? And I I went and landed here, got a house and brought my my children, and I just fell in love with it.

Speaker 1 5:04

So of all the places, I didn't know that there was a big Jewish population here in Mount Pleasant.

Speaker 2 5:08

Well, there's a Chabad, and there is a, you know, Charleston has got some of the oldest ports. And after World War II, this is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. So it does have a smaller population, um, but the ones that are here are very strong and and powerful and also just have great community. But ultimately, you've got these beautiful churches, and I just find my way, I love all people. So I find my way in the churches, I find my way in the synagogues, I just anywhere I can go to find community.

Speaker 1 5:39

You found your way, and this is how we met, through the Mount Pleasant Chamber, didn't you? Absolutely. What made you um check out the Mount Pleasant Chamber? When I learnt, sent you?

Speaker 2 5:48

No, when I landed, I was in um I was walking around, you know, some of the stores, and I went into a flower store and I met uh Muffy Cochrane, Michael Cochrane's wife. Okay, and he had been the president of Mount Pleasant Chamber, and so I didn't know a soul. And you know, if you've met Muffy, she she can chat it up with any level.

Speaker 1 6:07

Yeah, to meet Muffy.

Finding Community Through The Chamber

Speaker 2 6:08

She's amazing. So she was the first person, she was working in a flower store, and I said, I don't know one person here. She was my first friend, and she said, Well, what are you gonna do? I said, Well, I really want to start a nonprofit, but I just got here. She said, Are you part of the chamber? And I had no idea what that was. So she invited me to uh the holiday oyster roast.

Speaker 1 6:28

Sure.

Speaker 2 6:30

And it cold? It was freezing, and I was definitely had never been to an oyster roast. Oh, your first one even. My first one, it was their holiday Christmas one. It was at uh Omar Shrine.

Speaker 1 6:44

Do we have we can have an Omar Shrine or we also have it at the other? I can't remember the name of it, but yeah.

Speaker 2 6:49

And I remember showing up, oh my goodness, having my LA moment. I was like in heels, black dress, black jacket, red lips, full makeup, like okay, it's holiday, I'm ready. And they're everyone's eating, you know, oysters and pack and you know, boots and you know, Columbia jacket, just relax. And I'm like, okay.

Speaker 1 7:10

Yep.

Speaker 2 7:11

I definitely stand out.

Speaker 1 7:12

Well, welcome to Charleston.

Speaker 2 7:14

Welcome to Charleston, Leila. Welcome. You can get rid of all that black uh clothing, and you know, the high heels can be set aside to something more comfortable and get ready for those oysters.

Speaker 1 7:26

Yeah. Did you do you like oysters? Oh, I love them. Oh, okay.

Speaker 2 7:29

I had never had an oyster ever in my life.

Speaker 1 7:31

So the chamber introduced you the oysters. I love that that's a cool story.

Speaker 2 7:35

I wasn't had great people. I immediately joined.

Speaker 1 7:39

Well, it was the people um in my first experience too that I I found that was um almost addicting. Like the people that are leading it lead with love, I feel like.

Speaker 2 7:50

100%.

Speaker 1 7:51

Yeah. Um, I remember being in a and it was the it was the holiday. It wasn't the oyster roast, but it was like 2019. It was the holiday um board meeting that we have. It's the shortest board meeting, anyways. We had a luncheon, and uh everybody, you know, got up and got their award, and you know, we did prayer, we said the Pledge of Allegiance, and I'm like, I just had goosebumps. I'm like, this is home, these people are home. So that's why I fell in love with the same reason I fell in with the case.

Rio And Life With Autism

Speaker 2 8:17

I just remember they're going to the first luncheon and they were doing the Pledge of Allegiance and saying a pr uh a prayer before we ate. And I thought, you know, I never had this growing up. I pretty much lived in a car. I didn't even know who my neighbors were. I mean, this is LA. It's a very lonely city. You know, you're in the rat race just to make money and who knows who. Very narcissistic, lonely lifestyle. And then I came to one of the luncheons and I thought, I don't know much about this community. I don't know much about this world, but I know that this is where I want to be and this is the right place for my kids.

Speaker 1 8:56

And and so this kind of transitions into your kids. So, how many talk about your kids real quick?

Speaker 2 9:02

Well, I have three children. Um, not very successful at marriage, but I have three children.

Speaker 1 9:08

And nobody knows about that, Layla. Shocking.

Speaker 2 9:12

Uh well, my first son, my son, my firstborn is Rio. And a lot of individuals know about Rio because I've been very vocal. He is the reason why I started Just B. He is almost 18 years old, nonverbal, autistic. And I really wanted to make sure that I was his voice. Yeah. It's really important for me to be his voice. And also that um my daughters, Leia, she's almost 13, and her sister Odea, who's almost 11. And they are kind of Rio's spokesperson, you know. Leia always likes to be like, hey, uh, Rio wants hot dogs for dinner. Like, uh, Rio doesn't talk, but okay. She's like his agent. Yeah. She's like, yeah, he told me. But yeah, my kids are very important, like all parents feel.

The Restaurant Night That Changed Everything

Speaker 1 10:02

Of course, right? So important um that you started this nonprofit. We'll get to Just Be in a minute, but I wanted to have you share, because I was um uh blessed to hear the story from you too, and I want to share with our audiences the idea where it started from. You were in LA at a restaurant.

unknown 10:21

Yeah.

Speaker 1 10:21

Right. Can you tell that story to our audience? This is the the birth of Just Be.

Speaker 2 10:25

Yeah. I mean, when Rio was diagnosed in 2010, I was a single mom.

Speaker 1 10:29

How old was he?

Speaker 2 10:30

He was about almost three, two and a half, three. And I didn't know anyone. Nobody had an autistic kid. I was the only single mom with an autistic child, and then on top of it, non-verbal. Like everywhere we went, people stared at us, we get kicked out of playgrounds. You know, Rio was different, and it was really hard to navigate. And all I knew was Rain Man. I mean, there was nothing out there.

Speaker 1 10:52

When you say different though, Layla, he doesn't look different. He doesn't look, he looks like a normal kid. So when people are staring at you, they're not staring at you because of of the way he looks or the way you guys look. It's more of what now?

Speaker 2 11:02

It's more of a Yeah, with autism, there's no facial recognition. It's not like Down syndrome or a visible disability. He looks Rio's like skinny jeans, checker vans. He looks like a skateboarder. He's so cute. But he doesn't have the motor skills and he's unable to speak. So like when we when he was little, we he wouldn't play with any of the kids. He'd be off in his own little world, or you know, we'd have those moments where he had a new stim where he would like lick the slides, and I'd be like, let's not do that. Oh, hopefully that stim will stop. Or there was a time where he had this dinosaur sounds that he would start screaming, and I'm like, oh my goodness, why me? Uh but you know, the stims changed. But for Rio, it was this night I just took him and his sister to uh a local pizza restaurant where I was from, not here. And it took forever to get seated, get the pizza and get the check. And Rio had a complete sensory overload meltdown, so he started screaming and crying and banging his head. And then next thing I know, all the customers started yelling at me to control my kid. What kind of mother am I? That he was a spoiled brat, and the restaurant kicked us out.

Speaker 1 12:03

Come on.

Speaker 2 12:04

And that was the moment that was like in that Mayday situation of to call my dad to come pick us up. And I had a little swaddle bumblebee blanket, and I kept saying, Why can't people just be nice? Why can't they just be kind? Why can't they understand he's autistic? It was my father that said, you know, bumblebees have mystified scientists for hundreds of years that aerodynamically a bumblebee should not be able to fly because he's a pilot and he was a captain in the army. Oh, okay. And he said that they've mystified scientists because their body's too long and fat and their wingspan short, and yet they do the impossible. They lift. And I was like, Yeah, just like people with autism, they can do the impossible.

Speaker 1 12:37

I went home All in this car ride?

Speaker 2 12:39

Yeah, this was a big episode out in the parking lot with Rio attacking me and me crying and some bad language, and you know how it goes. But when I woke up the next day, I just thought, like, well, simply, you know, I was I was in the entertainment industry. This was not my call to action, nothing. I was like, well, what if that restaurant had known he was autistic? Or what if they were trained in autism, or what if they had seated us right away? Right. Would that night have been so horrible? And that was the call to action to become a 501c3 and start just be as a nonprofit. So that was that was the moment I found my my voice, I guess.

Speaker 1 13:14

In that that original plan, because we're later in this episode, we're gonna get to where you are now, which is crazy talk, but the original plan was what? You were just looking for something that you could uh pre-educate uh people on people on the spectrum.

Speaker 2 13:30

Yeah, I wanted to train businesses and teach them how to have sensory hours and and not have to be, you know, stared at. I mean, Rio and I have been filmed, we've been pointed at, we've been kicked out of places. I mean, there's so much discrimination. People are so cruel when you have a child, especially when they're big. I mean, my favorite is like going to the mall and bringing an 18-year-old who's six foot into the women's bathroom because he's still in diapers, you know, welcome to the spectrum. And the dirty looks I get, the the way that people respond to you. So that was like my I wanted to lean into that, like, oh, okay, fine. No one's really gonna pay attention to me. Maybe some people will care about that. I have an autistic son, but what will they really lean into? And that's money. So if a business has down hours, I mean their lights are on, they're paying their employees to sit there. What if those became happy hours? Like two to four is the new five o'clock. Okay. What if I could go to a place and have the same quality of life as everybody else? Like get to go to the movies, get to go to restaurants, go to the, you know, shopping or the dentist or a church or pray, you know. What if we could do that? But maybe just do it at different times.

Speaker 1 14:39

Yeah.

Speaker 2 14:39

So I don't have to be at a restaurant at 6 p.m. where everyone's like, oh, what's with that mom?

Speaker 1 14:45

Like well, no, it's peak times where there's lots of so what's what's the triggering? What's the triggering?

Speaker 2 14:50

The triggering is the lights, the TVs, the noise, the the smells, anything could be anything that could trigger. And most of the time it's just the fact that people are staring at Rio.

Speaker 1 14:59

Okay.

Speaker 2 14:59

And watching him and pointing him. He feels like he feels it. Yeah, of course. He understands everything. You know, but he's locked in a silent prison, but he understands, he knows the world knows he's different. And every day he has to suit up and watch people stare at him, make fun of him, or just or they just don't know what to do. Right. So I was like, what if we did education awareness? What if there is a place for us, you know, where it's not about the disabilities, about the possibilities. And then we could make revenue for businesses on slower hours of operation. Then I leveled up and was like, well, what if I had an app and we could just find those places, like a yelp of autism. And this is where I started to go down the rabbit hole. Go ahead. And I found Dr. Diane Culinane, who is a medical expert. She's like, I'll write the training. So it started to come together. And the first thought was education awareness, getting our families out in public, getting rid of the stigma, and also having the same quality of life as everybody else. And not and also to not forget about there's a term, it's a new term, it's called glass children. Those are the brothers and sisters of the child, or the you know, the of the family that most of the focus is on the child with the disabilities. They often feel invisible. Glass Leia and Odea, it's always about Rio. The whole day is revolving around how is Rio's mood. So those are the things that is important for the whole family unit to be able to be part and have memories. Where families like myself, I mean, how do you sustain a whole generation of young adults in the room on an iPad for the rest of their life? You can't.

Speaker 1 16:35

It's hurting us right now for sure.

Speaker 2 16:37

Yeah, and it hurts because like Rio's never had a friend. I mean, imagine being 18 and never having a friend, never being on a baseball team or a prom date or finding love or anything like that. They're just lonely and the families feel it. So that's the voice of just be is to make sure that we have the same quality of life as everybody else.

Speaker 1 16:57

You think it's as simple as adjusting your time schedule, which is a big deal. I can't imagine adjusting my time schedule, right? And the families, but but you guys, people, families that have these um situations need to adjust their time. And it's kind of a simple thing to do, right?

Certifying Mount Pleasant Autism-Friendly

Speaker 2 17:12

Yeah, you don't need to change the child or the adult to fit the environment. Just change the environment to fit the child or the adult. It's an easy fix. If we're gonna look at corporate social responsibility, there you are, businesses. If you're gonna look at social impact, where do you want to put your money? Yeah. If you can put your money in businesses like black-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, pet-friendly, even vegans, then what about the largest untapped market in history? The autistic and neurodivergent community. What about them? Why can't we just uh change the model and have community helping communities? So for me, it was like a a real easy fix. It just made sense. It was like I I hate to say putting those puzzle pieces together, but I I figured out that if we could change the dynamic of of businesses to have slower hours of operation that are sensory friendly and welcoming, and if the bumblebee stickers in the window, then hey, power of the pocketbook. If pizza's pizza, then I'm gonna give and support a business that supports a mission that I believe in and even hire adults, you know. So that's that's where I started. Yes. And then also, like we were talking about earlier, I started with just running around. I don't know if anyone remembers, but about maybe three and a half years ago or four years ago, rifle range, I lit all the fountains blue. I turned all the fountains blue for autism awareness month. And I put little signs out around rifle range and around the fountains, just like, oh, April's Autism Awareness Month. And you know, did you guys know that?

Speaker 1 18:40

Did you know that April was Autism Autistic Awareness Month? Yeah. Yeah. Now we know.

Speaker 2 18:44

Second is World Autism Awareness Day, but the whole month of April is Autism Awareness Month. Um, we light up blue, a little disconnect on that one because they thought only boys were autistic, but we know girls are autistic, so uh but April is autism awareness month.

Speaker 1 18:59

Everybody in rifle range knew that.

Speaker 2 19:01

I really didn't know, but I was gonna make sure that there was a squeaky wheel, this little mom on a mission out there with our kids planting all these signs and the fountains were blue for the whole month. They left it for the whole month. It was pretty incredible.

Speaker 1 19:14

So when did the mayor of Mount Pleasant step in? And it would he be the next step? What's the next step after the flex?

Speaker 2 19:21

Yeah, the next step was the Mount Pleasant Chamber. You you were I did the chamber, but I didn't know anyone. And then I just had this idea that I wanted to, you know, start Jess B in South Carolina. But I met Mayor Haney at the farmer's market and just walked, just walked up to him on a handshake and said, Hi, my name's Layla, and I have a nonprofit called Jess B, and I want to make Mount Pleasant the first certified autism-friendly town in the low country.

Speaker 1 19:47

And he said no and walked away.

Speaker 2 19:49

No, he said, actually, I believe his daughter's an occupational therapist, or she she works in this field. And he was like, Absolutely. So that's how it started with a proclamation. Then I pitched for the whole town council about certifying uh Mount Pleasant, and then we went on to the All-American City Awards.

Speaker 1 20:07

What it was that's a big step, the proclamation. What did what did that entail?

Speaker 2 20:12

It was in town hall and I put together a a speech and a little mini PowerPoint. Um and just speaking to town council and letting them know that autism is the fastest growing developmental diagnosis. It now currently, I can't remember the numbers, but it was much higher. But now it's one in every 31 children, one in every 45 adults. You know, so that if not now, when? When does our community get to be heard? And and and Mayor Haney was so strong. He really believed in this. He's just thought, and also uh, you know, Eric Demora, you know, it's just everyone really loved this mission because they felt like this is part of our legacy. We need to support our community. We need every single person is a fabric of our community. And if we're leaving them out, then we can't coexist to have this Mount Pleasant world of businesses and families that feel disconnected. So Mayor Haney always said this is the voice of the voiceless.

Speaker 1 21:14

Yes. He's great, isn't he?

Speaker 2 21:15

He's much loved. Without him, I probably would not be sitting here. So I'm very grateful.

Speaker 1 21:21

So so what did what did he then then do? The proclamation, what did that say? What was the proclamation?

Speaker 2 21:26

That April was Autism Awareness Month, and then we went for a second proclamation making and certifying by training the first responders, town council, um to be autism friendly. We took them through their training, they got their certificate. We have uh an agreement every year, and they leaned in. I worked really hard on this giant proposal. You know, I never did all these numbers and statement of work. And when we had the meeting with Eric and the town administrator, and he just immediately was flashing through all the papers, and immediately the first page is like, I want that. And it was the beehive.

Speaker 1 21:59

Okay.

Speaker 2 22:00

Our sensory mobile trailer. We're like, Well, don't you want to look at all the numbers that I work so hard on this proposal? He's like, That's what I want. He knew immediately, which is the beehive an eight and a half by 24 foot sensory mobile trailer. And Mount Pleasant bought it for us so that we could support these families and be part of the community and be part of the events. And it was one of the biggest wins because it's just like a giant sensory room. But what it what it stated for families like myself is that now we get to go to, you know, blessing of the fleet. Now we get to have events like lights and love that, you know, or town um town center that Kathy Herman started with myself. And it uh we get to see these families. We exist. Yeah, we are here. This is something that is not going away. We need to celebrate our families, but having the sensory mobile trailer there, the beehive, lets our families know that they can come. And if they're feeling overstimulated, they can reset, go back into the beehive, reset, get calm, and then go back out so that we don't have to feel like, oh, we can't come, we're gonna have a meltdown, everyone's gonna stare. Or we finally get there, we pay all our money, and then we have to be like, We gotta go. That's too much because the brothers and sisters, like, oh, we have to leave in this. Oh, the glass children just spinning and it and it becomes that embarrassing moment. So the most families just they don't go anywhere.

Speaker 1 23:20

Right.

Speaker 2 23:20

They don't have these family memories. And we want everyone to know that it's okay. We see you, special people get special children, and that you're not alone. You know, that's I always lean into like I am you, I understand, I've seen it all. And the beehive, one of the most beautiful moments about the beehive, which will be at Strawberry Festival. I was just blessing of the feet.

Speaker 1 23:42

Now you can do these things. You can go to the Strawberry Festival because all the kids want to go to these festivals.

Speaker 2 23:46

Yeah.

Speaker 1 23:46

And now you can because of great partnerships.

Speaker 2 23:48

Boon Hall, Mount Pleasant, you know, we're certifying North Charleston now too. So these are the partnerships that we go and we support these communities, whether it's National Night Out, um, we're there. And now these families are coming. And the win is that when we are in the the beehive, typical children and adults are meeting families that are on the spectrum. And that is the true inclusion. They're seeing us. The stigma needs to go away. We cannot hide our children. We shouldn't have to hide our adults. They have the same quality of life as everybody else. So just be behind the scenes is a civil rights and a human rights movement. I believe every great community has their moment in history, and this is the autistic and neurodivergent moment that we'll read back in our history books.

Speaker 1 24:36

It's amazing, and you're leading it. It's just based out of Mount Pleasant. So so you you got the proclamations, and then what came next?

Winning The All-American City Award

Speaker 2 24:44

Oh, we did uh All American City Awards and we won. Oh, that was a huge win. That was incredible.

Speaker 1 24:51

And what year was this?

Speaker 2 24:52

Is that 2024? I think so. Yeah, 2024. And it was such a win because we went there and Where's there?

Speaker 1 25:00

What does it mean?

Speaker 2 25:00

We went to Denver and uh we got to compete.

Speaker 1 25:04

Who judges these All American Cities uh things? Do you know?

Speaker 2 25:08

Do you know it's a they've been around for like 50 years and cities from all over the United States come. I think about 10 cities win. Uh we won. Mount Pleasants won before, but this time we won on you know, weaving the fabric of our community. And a big part of the win, as the judges said, is because we dedicated a whole town to the autistic and neurodivergent community by certifying that was a big part of the win, plus everybody else that was involved.

Speaker 1 25:34

Sure.

Speaker 2 25:34

From all the great things like um basket weaving and South Carolina, you know, Carolina, sure. That was part of the win too. But having representation with Trista and um some of the other individuals that are on the spectrum were part of the skit in our presentation. Oh, Trista. Yeah. Trista was amazing.

Speaker 1 25:52

She she's an amazing influencer, isn't she? Trista the rista, right?

Speaker 2 25:56

Like she's a huge I follow her, I'm a fan. Yeah, she represents the down community. Yeah, and then we also had Frankie. Yes, he was there.

Speaker 1 26:04

Debbie's son.

Speaker 2 26:05

Debbie's son. Debbie McMell's son. Yeah, we started. I was the first one to speak once we did our presentation, and it started off with Mayor Haney. And then uh Michael Cochrane announced Just B and I got to talk about how we made Mount Pleasant certified as the first autism-friendly town in the low country. And that was, you know, what an honor. What a what a big deal. Like, you know, never under underestimate a mom, guys. Like a mom, mom and bear can get stuff done.

Speaker 1 26:33

That's no kidding. Well, well, your journey doesn't end there, though, does it? Like, you know, uh, like I said, team, this has been two years in the in in the making to have this interview, and I'm glad we're doing it now because she's done so much in the two years. It's crazy through three years. Yeah. So so now, after after the All-American City Award for Mount Pleasant, that's a big feather in the cap there for everybody. Like everybody's just hugging about that, right? Everybody's just in love with it. Who doesn't want an inclusive city? Who doesn't want to have families feel seen and heard and loved? What what happened after that?

A Traffic Stop Sparks Rio’s Law

Speaker 2 27:07

I recalled a situation where I was pulled over by a routine traffic stop. It wasn't here.

Speaker 1 27:12

You were speeding. What were you doing wrong? You couldn't do anything wrong, I was sure.

Speaker 2 27:17

So dumb. It's the dumbest thing. And I'm gonna tell you because now I'm on the spot, but in LA, I can't believe I'm saying this.

Speaker 1 27:26

Uh-huh.

Speaker 2 27:26

There's like this trend not to change out your license plate to keep like the new car license plate on. So what a new dealership, so you don't ever put on your plate. It looks like your car's brand new. I know. What? Everybody does it. So I got pulled over and they're like, your car's like a year old, but you have the brand new, like at the time I had a Lexus, like the Lexus dealership plate. So it was a fix-it ticket, but that's what I did. Um, sorry, sorry, listeners. There wasn't anything more exciting than that. It's just so stupid.

Speaker 1 27:57

Now that I look back at it, I'm like, Yeah, but it happened for a reason though, right? I know it was just what what what was the lesson that came out of that?

Speaker 2 28:04

Lesson is that that is not cool to do and to change your plate as soon as you get it.

Speaker 1 28:09

Right.

Speaker 2 28:09

But um, so I got pulled over and the officer didn't understand autism. So they had the sirens and the flashing lights, and Rio was in the front seat and he went ballistic. He started to get so frightened and went into such a severe fight or flight sensory overload that he started attacking me. He bit the whole dashboard. Cold and oh gosh, it was almost 13.

Speaker 1 28:33

Oh shit. Okay.

Speaker 2 28:34

And he he bit me. I just let him bite. There's the the permanent. I just let him like jaws just hold on to my wrist because he was gonna run out into one of the busiest streets. And who knows what it would have happened. I mean, I could have lost Rio right then and there because of those flashing lights. He had the sirens off, but the flashing lights. And so I remember just speaking. I met with um, it was council member Carl Ritchie at the time.

Speaker 1 29:00

Sure.

Speaker 2 29:00

And before he became sheriff, and I said, like, why isn't there an identifier license plate? I don't understand. This is what happened with Rio and I. Why don't first responders know or be alerted that someone in the vehicle is on the spectrum? He thought this was a no-brainer. So I met he connected me with House Representative Kathy Landing. We met at Town Hall, and that meeting turned into Rio's law. And the the one thing I've told Kathy this, but I just want to share like it's hard. I don't want to be emotional, but it's hard. When you have autism, you're gonna go through like many years of like, why me? Why me? Why did this have to happen to me? Why not her? Why, why what did I do wrong? Right. And it takes a long time. So anyone who's listening, I understand. I've been there. And I remember getting into the elevator with Sharon, who worked with me, after Kathy was like, I'm gonna run with this. I am gonna do this. This law makes so much sense. And I was like, okay, so we walked out of the room, and I remember getting in the elevator and it's so strange. I remember looking up like to God and being like, I don't really remember saying this, but she remembers me saying it, and I said, Now I know why me.

Speaker 1 30:16

Come on.

Speaker 2 30:17

Swear to God, now I know where I mean. That was the moment where uh it all made sense.

Speaker 1 30:22

Yeah.

Speaker 2 30:24

I was here to do something for Rio and for all the Rios. And it's Rio's law.

Speaker 1 30:30

So what is Rio's law?

Speaker 2 30:31

Rio Rio's law is South Carolina is the first state in the nation. Representative Lanning passed it unanimously and bipartisanly within six months, with like 7,000 bills to be heard. It is the first ever identifier license plate with the Jess B logo on it. It says autistic slash neurodivergent. And you have to have the diagnosis in order to get the plate. It is not a charity plate. I don't make a dollar off this, it's a law. And it's not just for the individual because Rio will never drive. There are a lot of the times they'll do stuff for like your driver's license, but it's like Rio's never gonna drive. I have profound autism, level three. We're not on TV, we're not in the movies. A lot of people don't talk about profound autism, which is a huge component of families like myself. Um, but this way the parent can get the dri the plate, the caregiver can get the plate, the brother and sister, or the individual can get the plate. Sorry, my nose rang. Um it's a lot cold in here. So, but you can get the plate, and um and that way if you're ever pulled over or on the side of the road, immediately law enforcement knows that someone in the vehicles on the spectrum to turn off sirens and turn off lights and to approach calmly, they know what they're walking into because time saves lives. And a fight or flight situation can go within seconds. Like you gotta understand, an officer or a first responder, I mean, how are they gonna know? Yeah, they're not gonna have time. Um, our our our officer said that they don't look at stickers on cars because stickers can, you know, the car could have been sold, so they're not gonna look at stickers. There's a program like uh, you know, where you hand an envelope, they're like, with fentanyl, we're not touching anything. Right. You know, we're not leaning into the car, we're not touching anything. You're not gonna have time to read a diagnosis or anything like that. I mean, it's gonna move so fast. And someone like Rio, who's a superhuman strong, aggressive, he's six foot. His pupils are dilated because he's on meds. A lot of our kids are on meds. So the immediately law enforcement's gonna think drug-induced delirium. If he runs, they might think criminal. Uh, Rio's gonna reach for that shiny badge, or a lot of the officers have their cell phone on their belt next to their gun. Rio might reach for that. I mean, what do you do? And if you're the officer that makes that wrong call, which we've seen on the news way too many times, just happened last week again in Maryland. Um you lose your job. You have to live with the fact that you hurt someone with autism. And then imagine the massive lawsuits. So Rio's law is the big win. It's an identifier plate, it's voluntary. If you don't want it, you don't have to get it. But we know time saves lives. And our first responders, especially law enforcement, love it because they don't have a crystal ball. This thing can move very fast and without knowing, because again, remember there's no look to autism, there's no facial recognition. So how do they know? And that's why we started.

Speaker 1 33:28

Thank you.

Speaker 2 33:29

I don't know if it if you can edit it or we're live. My nose is running because I it's a little cold for me. I have a runny nose when when it gets cold.

Speaker 1 33:38

Oh, it's okay.

Speaker 2 33:44

I'll edit that out. Sorry. Thank you. I'm sorry when I get cold, my nose runs. That's like my go-to. No, we're good.

Speaker 1 33:55

You're you kept rolling, right? Good. Um, so Rio's law.

unknown 34:01

Rio's law.

Speaker 1 34:02

Talk about how cool it was in your experience of getting that passed. And when was it passed?

First Responder Training Goes Statewide

Speaker 2 34:08

It was passed in 2025 uh five. It was passed last year. Recently. Well, 24-25, it was in May. Um, Governor McMaster signed it into law. And right now we're doing the second part of it, which is mandatory first responder training for autism and neurodiversity in the state of South Carolina that will pass. And also, Representative Landing is doing with a diagnosis, you can get the handicap placard with the autism diagnosis, which is important because for our families to drag our kids across the parking lot, getting them, you know, dysregulated, it is so difficult. And then I'm like, well, you know, you're a veteran, you get to park up front. You're pregnant, you get to park up front, but I got to drag Rio across the parking lot. So just common sense. Everything I do, I feel like it's just common sense. Sure. For a community that's often overlooked. And when you have a visible disability, oftentimes people think if they don't see it, it's not there. But many of us struggle, especially with neurodiversity, which is going to become the new umbrella. That's autism, ADHD, dyslexia, praxia, schizophrenia, down syndrome, PTSD. You know, there's a lot underneath a neurological brain difference, but you may not see it visit, you know, visually, like you may not see it, but that doesn't mean it's not there. And a lot of times we'll label that as mental health, but mental health could be undiagnosed autism too. So getting in the conversation, making sure that families know a lot of the time, also with girls for autism. I just want to point this out. Girls are autistic. They do something different. It's called masking. Usually they'll copy and paste the emotions. A lot of girls don't get diagnosed too much later in life, maybe late teens, early 20s, because they play a part. They're taught to be pleasing or to be pretty or like, wait, you're not autistic. You're not flapping, or you're not rain man, or you're not like like Rhea. You're a cheerleader, or you're popular. You can't be autistic, but they struggle because uh oftentimes they are also very vulnerable to bad actors because they can't gauge a predator because they're pleasing. So there are other sides to autism that is unpleasant, but we just want more education awareness on it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 36:19

Yeah, it's crazy and how deep it goes and on the layers, right?

Speaker 2 36:23

It's an onion, the layers that goes as it's especially when we train first responders, we talk about some of the things that they might encounter.

Speaker 1 36:29

So you you're training, so you're building a team of trainers to help you push this um these these laws and and train the people, train the first responders. Um, so you started, you know, let's just say you started a rifle range, you got the Mount Pleasants, now you're South Carolina, now you're statewide, and then now what's after this, Layla?

Speaker 2 36:51

Nationwide. Rio's law. So we just passed our second state, Georgia. It was 169 yes to zero nays. It was incredible in a very divisive state. Sometimes it doesn't get along. Um, unanimous, bipartisan, and what a win. I mean, I have never felt something so electric to see that, you know, the board of all the yeses and the nays. It was truly something I am so proud. Yeah. And I'm just ready to take Rio's Law, make Rio's Law the next uh handicap symbol.

Speaker 1 37:26

Okay.

Speaker 2 37:27

That's the that's the goal, that's the dream. Love any support, any sponsors to bring just be, go nationwide. We have some legislation now in North Carolina. We're starting legislation in Texas, Mississippi, uh, Tennessee, and we have also early stages of Florida and California. So eventually the win will be having Rio's Law, the license plate nationwide, like the handicap symbol, plus mandatory first responder training. We need it mandatory, or else the rural areas won't get trained. Yeah. And um well, again, time saves lives. It's just a matter of time before a child elopes or or a family has a a sensory overload.

Speaker 1 38:09

Yeah.

Speaker 2 38:09

This is the new normal. And we want to make sure that we're protecting our first responders, protecting our neighbors, but also the individual that lives with the diagnosis.

Speaker 1 38:19

Yeah.

Speaker 2 38:19

Um deserve to be heard and respected.

Speaker 1 38:22

And I feel like now is a great moment too for that population. There's a lot of like what's the what's the TV show that's out there?

Speaker 2 38:28

Oh, a Love on the Spectrum.

Speaker 1 38:30

Oh my gosh, that's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Speaker 2 38:32

We are really fortunate to have the star of Love on the Spectrum, one of the stars, Connor Tomlinson. He is a Georgian, so it was he's the hometown hero, and he is using his platform to be Rio's voice. Yeah. He is our spokesperson for Rio's Law as we go state by state. And it's just been an honor to be able to work with him and his mom, Lise. Um, Love on the Spectrum is an incredible show. It shows what our adults feel like, that they long for the same thing as everybody else. And the biggest one there is a lot of the time they thought autism, individuals with autism were like rain man. This is post-rain-man generation.

Speaker 1 39:13

Yeah.

Love On The Spectrum And Friendship

Speaker 2 39:14

Connor's 27 years old, you know, and this is a TikTok generation, and they're talking about their feelings. They know what they want. They want friends, they want jobs, they want love, uh, they're fun, they want the same as we do. And a long a lot of the time back in the day, they thought that individuals with autism didn't want connection, that they didn't need it, that they were just in their own world, and it's it couldn't be further from the truth. And shows like Love on the Spectrum really show us that our adult population is just like us, just thinking a little bit differently.

Speaker 1 39:48

So you're a fan of that show.

Speaker 2 39:49

Oh my gosh, I love Love on the Spectrum. Yeah. Absolutely thankful to Connor.

Speaker 1 39:55

And you've got Connor, yeah. Do you know what Connor what his diagnosis is?

Speaker 2 39:59

He's autistic.

Speaker 1 40:00

Yeah.

Speaker 2 40:00

Um, he identifies as being neurodivergent. That's kind of the newer way of individuals with autism tend to now become like under that umbrella is just being neurodivergent. But he is autistic. That's the diagnosis. And he explains that he's had encounters with law enforcement, he was bullied in school. So I love how his mom always says, you know, there's a Connor right next to you. There's a Connor sitting right next to you, there's a Connor at your school, there's a Connor at your job. I mean, she she likes to say over and over again um that she won the golden ticket, which she did with Connor because he's higher functioning and he's just an incredible person. But using his platform to be the vehicle for people like Rio who are profound is really special.

Speaker 1 40:49

You showed me some video, and I'll I'll post this um on social listeners, but some of the some Connor and Rio videos where Rio's sitting right next to Connor, and Connor's talking about what they're just got done doing, which is amazing, right? Yeah, that he's his friend. Rio's just beaming the entire time, isn't he?

Speaker 2 41:04

He's beaming because he has a friend, and Connor always is like, Hi Rio, it's your friend Connor, you know, you know 18, living in a world of silence.

Speaker 1 41:15

I'm not crying, you're crying, listeners.

Speaker 2 41:17

It's hard, it's a hard life. It is really lonely, and our adults really struggle, whether it's from isolation or loneliness or suicide, or just feeling that they're not made to be in this world that the like Rio has written that he he feels like he's locked in a silent prison.

Speaker 1 41:38

He's written this.

Neurodiversity At Work And In Life

Speaker 2 41:39

He's written it. He can type, so he can talk about things when he wants to not often. He said that being autistic does not mean that you're dumb. Um, he's asked God to help him, but he said you can't live your life in sorrow. Oh yeah, and he's been very profound in his writing about what it feels like. You can read a lot of books written by individuals that are non-verbal, it's pretty profound. Okay, what they feel, but he understands everything, he understands three languages. Sometimes people think because he's non-verbal, they'll start talking louder to him, and he's like, I'm not deaf. You know, he'll he'll try to make them disappear. That's his thing. He closes his eyes and tries to make you disappear when you're annoying. So he's got a lot of sense of humor, but yeah, he's a person, he's a wonderful person, but he's Rio. He's not autistic, Rio. He's just Rio. Just Rio, exactly. Just Rio. And for any listener that has a loved one that's on the spectrum, celebrate them. They are who they are. God made them exactly where they were supposed to be and who they're supposed to be. They're not missing a puzzle piece, they're not missing anything. They are perfect in the way that they are designed.

Speaker 1 42:48

Well said. And there's um businesses locally uh that have employed.

Speaker 2 42:54

Absolutely, like Heirloom and lots of business systems.

Speaker 1 42:57

So Pizza Join are called again?

Speaker 2 42:58

Oh, uh Megalores.

Speaker 1 43:00

I can never say that.

Speaker 2 43:01

I say their name wrong.

Speaker 1 43:01

I say their name wrong too.

Speaker 2 43:03

Say Negs. I don't want to butcher it.

Speaker 1 43:05

Super good pizza. If you've been, Matt, it's really good pizzas.

Speaker 2 43:07

Oh, they have. And I think the sister, Jill, and Trista works there.

Speaker 1 43:13

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 43:14

There's there's a whole world. I mean, if you look at Silicon Valley or any of these big tech companies, they're hiring neurodivergent individuals because they have a specialty to hyperfocus, they understand detail, sounds, systems. You know, they can hyperfocus on numbers. There's a lot to be, you know, said for this community. They're highly intelligent, um, whether it or some of the best professional athletes in the world are on the spectrum. So this is not a bad lane to be in. It's not too shabby. I mean, like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, um, Einstein, Mozart, uh, Messi, um, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Eminem, you know, there's a there's a ton of us that are on the spectrum. And I think at some point, I think we're all kind of a little bit wired differently.

Speaker 1 44:05

100%.

Speaker 2 44:05

I mean, after the beehive, we had 10,000 people in the beehive, and I just think everyone's a little bit on the spectrum.

Speaker 1 44:11

You had 10,000 people in the beehive. What does that mean?

Speaker 2 44:14

They just threw all the festivals, people coming in and out. We click counted to see how many people were coming in and out. We had about 10,000 last stall.

Speaker 1 44:20

Oh, really cool.

Speaker 2 44:21

Yeah, and it the only the only bad thing with the beehive is that there's just not enough tissues because usually the parents will cry.

Speaker 1 44:30

Yeah.

Speaker 2 44:31

Because there's nothing for them.

Speaker 1 44:33

Right.

How Listeners Can Support Just Be

Speaker 2 44:33

And there we are standing that fight. You know, this is my battle cry as a mom, you know, that mom on the mission to be Rio's voice and the voice of millions of others, just like when we pull up with the beehive, we're like, we see you, we hear you, we are you, and be part of this. It's it's it's such a win, Mount Pleasant. And people are moving here. People Google, like, where can I live on the East Coast that's autism friendly. I've met families that moved to Mount Pleasant in IOP because they Googled that certification. Yeah, they live here now. Stop it. Yeah, I know them. And I think this state by being the first, the leaders of inclusion and acceptance, and you've got to understand that autism, autism doesn't care about your skin color, it doesn't care about your religion, your sexual orientation, your political party, or your financial background. It takes all of us. It doesn't discriminate. So we're all in the same boat. And for Mount Pleasant to stand up, Mayor Haney, Town Council, Sheriff Ritchie, Representative Landing, the Chamber, and to support someone who didn't even know one person that landed here but had a dream. I mean, I hate to be cheesy, but you know, I have a dream too as a mother.

Speaker 1 45:46

Yeah.

Speaker 2 45:46

Moms have dreams, fathers have dreams. Our families have dreams for their kids. And we shouldn't have to give up because we got a diagnosis. And that's that's the win, is the support of this town is gonna make me go all the way. So we've got 48 states to go. Right. We're looking for sponsors and help. And if anyone knows anyone in any state representatives, senators, congressmen, anywhere in any other state that you think Rio's law should be there and mandatory first responder training, let me know because I'm in the fight and I'm not gonna stop until we go nationwide. So we always say hashtag go be go. It's like the little bee that could.

Speaker 1 46:27

Yeah, I love that.

Speaker 2 46:28

Go be go.

Speaker 1 46:29

How else can the the chamber uh and our listeners support just be?

unknown 46:34

Support.

Speaker 2 46:35

Oh, with businesses, more events, everything that you do, make sure that there's an area dedicated to the autistic and neurodivergent community in this day and age. If you're a town or an event or a business, if you don't have something dedicated to this community, you're really out of touch.

Speaker 1 46:51

When you're losing money.

Speaker 2 46:52

You're losing money too. Yes, we have our app. You can be on our app. We'd love to train you. We'd love to certify. You know, we got North Charleston now. We'd love to get all the other cities to certify and be part of this movement. Um, just be is a grassroots movement. You know, it's like sometimes I feel like the Avon of autism, you know, like or the Mary Kate. Yeah, you know, just door to door. But there's something to be said for boots on the ground and a grassroots movement. And it started here in South Carolina.

Speaker 1 47:21

Started here in Mount Pleasant.

Speaker 2 47:22

And Mount Pleasant, yeah. Mount Pleasant, it really started here in Mount in Mount Pleasant. You can imagine. It's just it's pretty incredible. And I know that the families are behind it. And you know, hopefully when you see the logo, it's a bumblebee, but one's a little bit different with the yellow and black stripes, but they're all connected. We're all one. So I say just be kind, just be human, and let them just be.

Speaker 1 47:49

I have nothing else to follow this up. That was a perfect ending. Yeah. Thank you. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 47:55

And that's what we're doing. I mean, we every every presentation I do. If you have a business you want to be trained or certified, or if you want to know more about just be, or you wanna, if you're a mom and you want to get involved, or a dad, or a family, or donate. We are a nonprofit. We love donations, sponsors.

Speaker 1 48:14

Yes.

Speaker 2 48:14

Please don't hesitate. April's autism awareness month. Um, we could use the help. Uh, but most importantly, that it's gonna come down to together. So we say together we can just be the change. And that's what we're doing here in Mount Pleasant.

Speaker 1 48:32

Great work, Layla.

Speaker 2 48:33

Thank you.

Speaker 1 48:34

Uh, you know, a little bit of tears, a little bit of sniffles. We got through all the emotions.

Speaker 2 48:39

Little sniffles.

Speaker 1 48:40

I feel like we got emotional. No, but it's an important message. And I'm glad we were able to do this.

Stigma And A Clear Closing Message

Speaker 2 48:46

Yeah, we I want to be transparent. I want to be honest about that. Was the thing when I first started in Mount Pleasant, is getting on the news, and I was like the only one talking about autism. I remember some people had never even heard of neurodiversity. They're like, what's that? So I knew I had my work cut out for me, but I wanted to be honest, especially with our first responder training. A lot of our families, like, we don't want to call the police, we don't want the neighbors to know. How do you how do you explain what happens behind closed doors when most families don't understand? There's a lot of stigma behind autism, you know, even some of the stuff that's unpleasant. Like, if you're a neighborhood and everything goes great and your life is super blessed, and then you have a neighbor like me with Rio, how do I explain that my refrigerator's chained, chained up, or there's holes in the walls, or locks on the outside of the door, windows nailed shut? It's it's not normal for a lot of people. So I just want our families to know that, you know, we're here, we get it. And the best way for us to work as a community is to be transparent and to help each other. If you know anyone, it's April Autism Awareness Month, if you know anyone with autism, or you start at your school or at a job or a family that needs help, go up to them. Change the dialogue. Don't just stare at us and film at us or point at us or roll your eyes thinking I'm a bad mom. Maybe next time you see me struggling, change that narrative and think, well, I wonder if that child's on the spectrum or that adult. Does that parent need help? That's the win. Let's change the narrative as a community.

Speaker 1 50:17

You're doing it, Layla.

Speaker 2 50:18

Thank you. I need help. So anyone who wants to join, let me know. Be part of the B team.

Speaker 1 50:23

Let's go. Let's go.

Speaker 2 50:24

Go be go.

Speaker 1 50:25

Oh, you know I'm in.

Speaker 2 50:26

Thank you.

Speaker 1 50:27

Oh gosh, what a great episode. Thank you, Layla. Thank you. Can't be any more the authentic than Layla Luna. That's 100% for real, right there. And you're making stuff happen. No, the whole deal, dude. It's great. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 50:40

Thanks so much for this opportunity.

Speaker 1 50:41

Yeah, of course.

Speaker 2 50:43

So exciting. I know, right?

Speaker 1 50:44

So I'd like to also uh wrap this up. So thank you, Layla. Um, thank you to the Mount Pleasant Chamber and to Viking Mergers and Acquisitions for their underwriting. And thank you to the Charleston Media Solutions for this beautiful studio that we are in. It's called Heaven. You know, so here you know there we go. Just adding more emotions to it. Um and uh thank you, listeners. All right. Thank you. Yep. Talk to you soon, Layla.

Speaker 2 51:10

Absolutely. All right, bye bye. Thank you.