Racial harassment alleged duringarrest of young autistic man

Racial harassment alleged during<br />arrest of young autistic man

This is a really interesting, frustrating, appalling, GAHHHH, piece of news. From a disabilities advocate standpoint, I think Neli's mom is right in wanting to get an ID bracelet to alert people of his disability. As parents, we want our kids to lead normal lives, advocate for themselves, and NOT be labeled.

But the reality is children with disabilities become adults with disabilities. They are subject to the same laws, social rules, and standards of courtesy, and ridicule, racism, profiling, sexual exploitation, etc. We cannot be with them in every aspect of their adult lives to ensure they are treated fairly or with understanding. Our disabled children will most likely out live us...who will "take care" of them then?

My suggestion is to parents, guardians, and caregivers: be realistic with early interventions, social space and courtesy. Even children and adults with social disorders can learn to act appropriately in order to avoid exploitation, illegal activities, or scare others accidentally, just to name a few. They need to be taught to check in with a care giver before going out alone. They should have some way of communicating with caregivers when they are out and about. They should have some ID to alert the public of their disability and a phone number of a caregiver. (this is also good policy in case they are ever injured and too distraught to cooperate with police, or receive medical attention).
They need to be told "no" so later in life its not a shock to them when it comes from someone else.

The further tragedy in this story is that Neli may have been racially profiled and harassed by officers. Additionally, he was sent to jail. There he acted like an autistic person...withdrawn, confused, irritable and was sent for mental evaluation. He is 18. No one has to ask for parental consent or tell the parent anything. This boy, who is diagnosed with Autism, may end up institutionalized because he might not recover from the trauma and ignorance from this single experience!

Singing the praises of Shriners Children's Hospital

My oldest son is a patient of Shriner's Children's Hospital in Portland, OR. He is soon to be an alumni because he just graduated high school and will turn 18 in July! Shriner's is a wonderful service for children 18 and under.

So...a little background.

Without Shriners' treatments, my son would have limited if any mobility in his legs. He has hemi-diplegia which is cerebral palsey (CP) that affects one half of the body. In my sons case it was his legs primarily. We tried braces when he was very little but later opted for corrective surgery. He ended up having 9 total! At no cost to us because of generous public donations to the hospital and Shriners fundraising events.

When I asked my son if he thought it was a good experience he said,

"Shriners itself is amazing. They were always really thorough and took
good care of me and were always positive. The surgeries gave me the
opportunity to be "normal" (he did air quotes lol).....without the surgeries I
wouldn't have been able to take a PE class, and all that stuff with my peers and
probably would have been in a special ed room. People [who see my scars] ask
what's up and I tell them and everyone's pretty cool about it. There's
always some [jerks] who ask dumb questions or who think I'm
retarded. During the [puberty years] it used to make me
mad...but now I just walk away
from those people."

Other than scars on his legs and a lift in his right shoe most people would never know he has CP. He is planning on becoming a chef! I am looking forward to some good eats. :)

My first post! Off the top of my head

Ten things some people aren't aware of about children with disabilities

1. Children with disabilities have abilities, too!


2. There are many children in our schools who are undiagnosed or untreated. They are mainstreamed and expected to "keep up with the norm"


3. Many many children with severe and profound birth defects or injuries are capable of making decisions for themselves....if given the correct tools.


4. School programs teach kids how to be in school...not necessarily how to be appropriate citizens.


5. Many children with poor social behaviors can be taught appropriate social behaviors. It is the most loving thing you can do...to teach a child to be able to go to dinner, museums, galleries, movies (if they can handle the noise, etc), parks, carnivals or even the grocery store. What a fulfilling life they can have with family and even FRIENDS!


6. Often...but not always, children with disabilities come from parents with similar disabilities.


7. Families of children with disabilities go through the grief process...grief of what their child could have accomplished, fear of the future, loss of "a normal" child experience, anger, resentment, etc.


8. Children of all abilities do better with consistent boundaries and expectations than without. People often excuse behaviors because they think the child isn't able to live up to expectations. This is a myth.
9. The term 'retarded' doesn't mean 'unable to learn'. Not all people with disabilities are mentally retarded.
10. I have learned a tremendous amount from my students. They are humorous, loving, capable, and stubborn....just like me! Just like my co-workers!