Last month, new video was released of an off-duty Chicago police officer shooting an 18-year-old with autism on the city’s Far South Side in 2017. Ricky Hayes had eloped that night and began skipping through a local neighborhood when he could not find his way home.
Upon locating Hayes, the off-duty sergeant engaged in an “armed confrontation” with the teen, police said at the time, after thinking Hayes was pulling a gun on him. The new footage shows the teen was not aggressive as the sergeant initially claimed.
With individuals of color on the autism spectrum being at a higher risk for an incident with police, Milestones Autism Resources urges first responders everywhere to make autism training a priority. Proper education and understanding can keep traumatic encounters like this from occurring in the future.
To learn more about autism and available educational resources, please visit milestones.org or call us at 216.464.7600.
Jenna Newman of Mentor knew that if her young son with autism ever needed help or had an emergency, the Mentor Fire Department would be the first ones contacted. Concerned that first responders may not know how to interact with her son and children like him, Newman teamed up with the Mentor Fire Department to start a free fire safety story-time for kids with special needs. The program was designed to build relationships between local children and firefighters by including shared experiences, such as story-time, a joint activity, and a trip to the parking lot for a tour by the firefighters of firetrucks.
“My son went from not wanting to do anything with any of it, to now sitting by the firemen, high-fiving them, listening to the story and doing the activities; he is really loving the program!” said Newman. “He has made some awesome friends with these heroes.”
The fire safety story-time program was such a success that the nearby Willoughby Fire Department contacted Newman to get the program started at their station as well. However, Newman’s efforts of helping the fire departments didn’t end there. The mother of four also helped to provide new icon cards to the fire departments. These small cards, which include icons of things such as people and body parts, can be used by first responders to engage with individuals with communication needs, and they are now on each truck at both the Mentor and Willoughby fire departments.
Continue reading →
