How Can Purple Alerts Help People With Disabilities?

Takeaways

• Purple Alerts are a public notification system designed to help locate adults with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities who have gone missing. These individuals are not currently covered by existing alert systems, such as Amber Alerts or Silver Alerts.
• Addressing a critical gap in existing state alert systems, Purple Alerts ensure that intellectually disabled adults who are reported missing receive appropriate attention and that the public is aware of the specific circumstances.
• Currently, only five states (Florida, Maryland, Kansas, Mississippi, and Connecticut) have enacted Purple Alert systems.
• Purple Alerts can also inform law enforcement about the nature of a missing person’s disability. This can help enable a more appropriate and calm interaction when the person is located.

Every day, 2,300 people are reported missing in the United States. When an adult with a cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disability goes missing, they can be especially vulnerable to bad actors or accidents.

If lost, intellectually disabled adults may become confused or be unable to recognize signs of danger. In some cases, individuals may be nonverbal or not know how to ask for help. Others may not understand how to respond to commands from law enforcement.

Purple Alert Systems

Five states have put Purple Alert systems in place to help law enforcement notify the public of these situations. Like Amber Alerts for children and Silver Alerts for older adults, Purple Alerts raise public awareness when an adult with a cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disability goes missing.

These alerts fill an important gap in state alert systems. They can help community members work together to keep a lookout for the missing individual and report potential leads or sightings to law enforcement. Purple Alerts may go out via local highway signs, news and social media, and other state emergency notification systems.

In states without a Purple Alert system, the response from law enforcement may be slower or inconsistent. No formal, automatic system may be in place to notify the public when an at-risk adult under 60 goes missing, even if they are medically fragile or nonverbal. Or, a Silver Alert may be issued, which could lead people to assume the missing person is elderly.

Cognitive or intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) may include autism, a traumatic brain injury, Down syndrome, or, in some cases, specific severe mental illnesses. People with these conditions may be unable to communicate or care for themselves if they are lost or confused.

Purple Alerts in Five States

All 50 states and Washington, D.C., have Amber Alert plans in place, and 37 states have Silver Alerts. However, only five states currently have Purple Alerts. As Purple Alerts are not yet part of a national system, availability and the criteria that may qualify someone for a Purple Alert vary by state.

Florida was the first state to enact this alert system statewide in 2021. Maryland, Mississippi, and Kansas followed with their own Purple Alert legislation in 2024. Connecticut launched its program earlier this year.

Democrat Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw introduced the legislation in Connecticut after taking inspiration from Florida’s comprehensive alert system. Kavros DeGraw has said she was motivated to act after speaking to a community member whose 19-year-old daughter with an intellectual disability went missing after communicating with men online.

“The Purple Alert … is for missing people who have IDD or perhaps Alzheimer’s or other cognitive brain injury,” Kavros DeGraw said this past spring. “The purpose is to bring the loved one home faster.”

Purple Alerts can also inform police officers that the individual has a disability such as autism spectrum disorder, which can help them know how to approach the individual and keep them calm.

Purple Alert Preparedness Checklist

If you are a caregiver of a vulnerable adult who has gone missing, consider keeping the following information on hand in case of an emergency. Sharing it with law enforcement can assist in their search.

• Personal identification. This includes your loved one’s full legal name, date of birth, a recent photo, height, weight, hair color, and eye color. If they have any distinguishing marks, such as scars or tattoos, be sure to provide these details to the authorities.
• Medical information. Share information about your loved one’s primary diagnosis and, if applicable, a list of any medications they may require. Do they have any known triggers that cause them to wander? This may include panic attacks, sensory overload, or changes to their usual daily environment.
• Details regarding your loved one’s daily routines. Keep a list of places they tend to frequent, such as parks or favorite restaurants. Does your loved one typically have a tracking device on their person, such as a smartphone or smartwatch with a tracking app? If they have a presence on social media, drive a car, or regularly take certain bus routes, share these details with law enforcement.

Consider maintaining a go-to folder with this information in place. Once or twice a year, set aside some time to add an updated photo and review all your emergency contact information to ensure it is up to date.

Bringing Purple Alerts to More States

As Purple Alerts are gaining traction, more states will likely put them into place in the coming years. If your state does not have a Purple Alert system yet, consider contacting your state representatives to suggest adding one.

For additional reading, check out the following articles:

• Driver’s License Markers for People With Autism
• Special Needs Registries for People With Disabilities
• Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder ‘Registry’ Sparks Concern
• People With Intellectual and Developmental Disability: What Is an IDD?