Shocking video of school torturing disabled student released

On Tuesday, a video showing Andre McCollins, a disabled student, being shocked at JREC was shown in court . He was shocked 31 times over a seven hour period in a single day for refusing to take off his coat. He is described as being "catatonic" on a visit three days later with his mother Cheryl who is suing.

The video, from a classroom camera, had been sealed eight years ago.

A description of the video can be found at MyFox/Boston and follows.

Andre is shown seated at a desk inside a classroom as a staff member asks him several times to remove his coat. He stays still, apparently not responding or removing his coat, until he is given a shock.

He screams and falls to the floor, yelling as he tries to hide under his desk. He was eventually restrained face-down, a helmet on his head, without breaks for food, water or the bathroom.

The video below is graphic and should only be viewed with that in mind.

Graphic video of teen being restrained, shocked played in court: MyFoxBOSTON.com

Further testimony taken yesterday included an expert who stated that the shock treatments harmed the autistic teen.

Mary goes for a walk in her power chair....

...and the neighborhood kids follow along on their bikes and scooters.

A Very Determined Young Man in a Power Chair

And check out the look he gives everyone toward the end, as if to say "Relax, I got this under control geesh!"

Connecticut Youth Leadership Forum....

is held every summer at the University of Connecticut for more than 30 of the state's students with disabilities to teach them leadership skills for use in the community.



The site of the Connecticut Youth Leadership Project can be found here.

The Vietnam Friendship Village

via YouTube:
In this clip from Michelle Mason's "The Friendship Village", Friendship Village founder George Mizo and other Vietnam War vets who contributed to the facility's initial work with Agent Orange victims share their motivation and compassion.

Filmmaker Michelle Mason visited the Friendship Village for the first time in 1998. "It was really clear how much the Vietnamese do with so little," she recalls. "At that point, only a certain amount of dollars had been raised and [yet] they'd built half the village. Through a lot of simplicity they were achieving great things. One thing that stood out for me was that the Vietnamese government was years and years behind when it comes to disability issues. To have kids come and learn some really basic skills -- like how to feed themselves -- was significant. It was through this journey to self-reliance that these kids were shaping their own lives and people's perceptions and attitudes."

Living with Spina Bifida: Abigail

Abigail talks about living with spina bifida, the importance of her family and reaching for goals.



If you have a child with disabilities and would like to find out more about adaptive sports, check out We Push Sports.

Camps for kids who use communication devices

via YouTube:

The Advancing Adventures in Communicating Camp offers a rare opportunity for children who use communication devices & their parents to meet many other children who use Alternative or Augmentative Communication devices. The Camp provides them with a safe & fun environment in which they can learn through one on one instruction, interact socially with supportive and understanding counselors and peers, and be accepted and treated with respect; all while having the time of their lives. For more information, please contact Anne Kuhlmeier, CCC-SLP-ATP at akuhlmeier@ierh.org. Our website is coming soon! The camp is primarily Sponsored by St. Luke's Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Services and Idaho State University and is run by well trained volunteers who are Speech-Language Pathologists & Graduate Students in Communication Sciences & Disorders.



For a list of more AAC camps, please go here.

Annual Easter egg hunt at Montana School for Deaf and Blind Children

These little ones at the Montana School for Deaf and Blind Children are very excited by their Easter egg hunt- complete with beeping eggs in bright colors and eye catching designs to help their search.



The article, which can be found here, contains most of the script from the video.

You can read about the technology behind the beeping eggs- and where you can get them- here.

via @fredshead on Twitter

Snow Scapades- of all kinds!

First, two young ladies:

Emma goes out for her first wheel in the snow this winter! She's particularly interested in how the tracks her chair make look in the snow.



Leah had some fun in her power chair checking out the snow:



And check out Westpac Snow Scapade, a day of fun in the snow for 60 kids with disabilities in New Zealand where volunteers assist parents in providing experiences for kids they haven't had before with adaptive sports in a mountain setting.



Trying out new things, opening up vistas- have fun out there!

Let the children play: New Sensory Park and Playground in Kentucky

via YouTube:
Watch these kids exploring their abilities on Wendell Foster's wheelchair-accessible playground and park! Located in Owensboro KY, this Sensory Park and Playground is open to the public and invites children and families of all levels of ability to enjoy without boundaries.

Being Charlie's mother

This story of a mother of a child with spina bifida speaks candidly of both her struggles and joy in raising her son Charlie. Shannon Cooper writes about her faith as well as the everyday realities of living with spina bifida.

And she speaks about her concerns about the future,which include this:

Being Charlie's mama means knowing children will make fun of him when he starts school because he won't be potty trained, will still wear diapers.

She recognizes Charlie's joy of life and advocates for him to have the best life he can, like all parents. It's really sad, when you read about the loving care Charlie's mom gives him, that she and other parents of children with disabilities still need to be concerned about such things.

The effect of cutbacks: Terri's testimony before NY Senate Finance Committee

Terri has posted about her testimony Monday in front of the NY Senate Finance Committee. Here's her statement:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon about our state budget.

As a the mom of a child with Down syndrome, and as a member of the board of the Flower City Down Syndrome Network in Rochester, I am upset both by Governor Paterson's Deficit Reduction Proposal and by the Republican counter-proposal to make severe cuts to Medicaid services. These cuts unfairly victimize people with disabilities.


As a homeowner I know that neglecting a leak in my roof will lead to damage to my ceilings, then to my furniture, then to my rugs, then to my other belongings, eventually damaging the house’s very foundation, and I might even lose my house. Because of this cascade of ever-worsening problems, fixing even a small leak in my roof becomes my priority. Even when my budget is tight.

I submit that the people of NY—people like my daughter--respond to neglect much the way my house does to a hole in its roof. I believe that the proposed cuts to the OMRDD and Medicaid, and the cascade of damage that will follow for New York, and for New Yorkers and for my little girl, should not be allowed to happen.

The OMRDD provides funding for services for people with Developmental Disabilities including those with Down syndrome. This funding brings in Federal matching money which I know our state can't afford to lose. .

Agencies which rely on both OMRDD funding and Federal matching funds may well find that grants they receive from other sources are jeopardized by these cuts as well. Some of these agencies may be forced to close their doors, most will have to cut services and staff. Where does that leave our kids?

Increased unemployment--both of caregivers and of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities--is another problem our state simply cannot afford.

Unmet care needs and fewer caregivers will lead to deteriorating health and increased burdens on the state’s life-care and healthcare systems. We can’t afford this either.

People with Down syndrome and other Developmental Disabilities really have no private options for meeting their needs. They contend with a dismal unemployment rate. And the pre-existing condition of their disability necessitates Medicaid eligibility. Consequently, very few have more than $2000 to their names, making it virtually impossible for them to afford anything else.

These proposed cuts unfairly and unnecessarily victimize people who already live in poverty. This is wrong for my daughter—it’s wrong for anyone’s child.

As our legislators you must find ways to re-structure necessary budget-cutting without laying the burden on people who have Developmental Disabilities like Down syndrome--who have nowhere else to turn.

Thank you.

DOJ report cites abuse at New York State juvenile detention centers

A nearly 2-year investigation by the Department of Justice into New York's juvenile residential centers may result in a takeover of the states youth detention system if problems are not addressed. The report revealed that "children at four juvenile detention centers were so severely abused by workers that it constituted a violation of their constitutional rights".

Workers at four locations routinely used physical force to restrain residents under 16 years of age against the rules, with serious resultant injuries such as broken teeth and bones, for infractions that were as minor as seeking an extra cookie, refusing to stop laughing and glaring at a staff member.

Officials at the centers also routinely failed to follow state rules requiring that instances in which force is used be reviewed after the fact. In some cases, the same staff member involved in an episode conducted the review. And even when a review determined that excessive force had been used, the staff members responsible sometimes faced no punishment.

The report also found that state officials failed to provide youths in detention with adequate counseling and mental health treatment, something the vast majority of residents require. Three-quarters of residents enter New York’s juvenile justice system with drug or alcohol problems, more than half have diagnosed psychological problems and a third have developmental disabilities, according to figures published by Office of Children and Family Services.

Skallagrigg

I'm reading Skallagrigg, a 1987 novel by William Horwood about what's been described as a "mythical protector of disabled people". The book tells the story of Arthur, a young disabled boy thought to lack intelligence because he can't speak, who is placed in an asylum in the 1920's and Esther, who lives in 1982. Esther, who has cerebral palsy, is institutionalized by her father, but eventually lives with him. She designs a computer game about Skallagrigg which is then deciphered by an able bodied computer gamer seeking answers, after her death, about her work and the Skallagrigg, who is only known to the disabled children who "look and keep on looking".

The book describes the dehumanization of life at the asylum, where Arthur is called by the wrong name, stripped of his few meager belongings and sadly neglected until he winds up in the infirmary, close to death, holding onto hope only through knowing about the Skallagrigg. In particularly touching prose, the author writes about Arthur "losing the sky" as he lays in a bed, reaching up to a window so high it hides his view from outside the institution.

The book also explores the issues facing Esther's father, although I haven't finished it yet so can't write about it at length, but the struggle of Esther and her father in their relationship is portrayed, when her father, after years of visiting her, brings her home.

A movie was also made by BBC and is available for viewing on YouTube since no DVD was released, but after watching a bit of it, I highly recommend reading the book as well, which is a completely different experience.

What a burden: wrongful birth lawsuits

I was catching up on some blog posts from this weekend when I noticed a post over at Media dis&dat about Oregon parents who are suing over the cost of raising their child who has Down syndrome. They claim they would have aborted the baby had they known, but that tests failed to diagnose the condition and want $14 million.

The article states that there are fewer than ten such lawsuits a year, because of the awkward stance parents have to take in claiming that there was a wrongful birth and that the child is a burden. It also notes that some say, in order to preserve a right to damages from medical error, suing for "botched prenatal tests is no different than suing for botched knee surgery". The parents in this case are suing, among other things, for reimbursement from lost wages due to care issues as well as care for their daughter.

I am not going to comment directly on the couple involved in this lawsuit, but wish to discuss how our society responds to families with a member who has a disability. The reality is that there are a number of burdens involved here, but it's unfair to say that it's the child who is the burden.

Let's take a look at how our society fails to assist parents of children with disabilities. We offer prenatal testing and abortion, but we sure don't provide enough backup care or financial assistance.

The solution is not to have lawsuits where individual parents sue for 14 million dollars while a father has to sue Medicaid to provide diapers for his daughter - or faces having to institutionalize her .

Some disabilities are more expensive than others. This is a fact that has been swept under the carpet for years. We don't talk about it because we leave it up to individual families to somehow figure it all out, but as our country faces crises in health care, we need to address it swiftly and with a moral conscience. We also need to step up in our own communities to help each other. Government programs can't address every need these families face.

Those who value human life and believe in keeping families together need to consider questions such as these:

Are we going to continue to ignore the financial burden on families of having a child with a disability and therefore continue to label the child as a burden? What does that say about our belief that all human life is sacred?

When will we stop condoning the institutionalization of people with disabilities which separates family members and, although it is more expensive, has been part of our system for years? Does a child with a disability have less of a right to be part of a family out in the community?

When will we stop using a piecemeal approach to these issues through our legal and medical systems, resulting in large settlements for some and poverty for others?

How long can we continue to ignore our individual moral obligations toward families facing these issues in our communities? What can we do in our own parishes to assist these parents?

The important thing here is not to blame parents or the children, but to address their needs. That is our burden - together. Until we start doing that, we have no right to judge anyone.

Support Information for Pregnant Mothers of Children with Disabilities

For information about perinatal hospices,

listed on www.perinatalhospice.org ."

Several other helpful and informative links from the article include the following: A support group, Isaiah's Promise www.isaiahspromise.net . Go to www.benotafraid.net, for mothers with dire in-utero diagnoses to keep their children. Also, www.livingwithtrisomy13.org and www.prenatalpartnersforlife.org testimonies from parents A nationwide listing of photographers who will go to a hospital at all hours to photograph stillborn or soon-to-die babies can be found at www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org. For parents who did abort www.postabortionhelp.org. via NCPD e-news h/t NJCIM

On Mother's Day

Let us pray.

For the mothers of those with special needs.
For the mothers of those in our military .
For the mothers in our military and their children.
For mothers who learn from their kids.
For families without moms.
For mothers of a bride.
For the mothers of prisoners.
For mothers of twins and multiples.
For single mothers.
For those finding Mother's Day sad.
For our beloved nuns who serve mothers and their children every day.
For our lay female members who minister to our churches.
For mothers whose kids make them laugh.
For mothers who grieve the loss of a child.
For mothers of freshmen.
For mothers who are homeless and for those living in poverty.
For mothers in third world countries, dealing with malaria and other life threatening conditions.
For empty nest mothers.
For mothers of kids who make them proud.
For mothers of addicts and mothers who are addicts.
For all of us who celebrate Mother's Day in our own way.

And here's a video made for a special needs mom.






and a soldier surprises his mom with a homecoming



Happy Mother's Day!

Advocating for children with disabilities

The Children Right's Information Network (CRIN) offers useful information on advocating for children with disabilities.


Their site also offers some facts on children with disabilities:



* Up to 150 million children globally have a disability and the numbers are rising
* Children with disabilities are disproportionately likely to live in poverty
* 50% of children who are deaf and 60% of those with an intellectual impairment are sexually abused
* Parents and medical professionals who murder children with disabilities often have reduced sentences and use mercy killing defences – the lives of children with disabilities are not treated as of equal value with others
* In some countries 90% of children with disabilities will not survive beyond the age of 20
* 98% of children with disabilities across the developing world have no access to education
* Discrimination in relation to life saving treatments, to health care, to child care services and education is endemic
* Access to justice is routinely denied because they are not considered credible witnesses

[Source: Draft version of 'Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities: A guide to using the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with the Convention on the Rights of the Child,' produced on behalf of the Save the Children Alliance by Sweden and the UK]

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day at United Cerebral Palsy Association

Students from Long Beach Catholic did step dancing to make it the "best St. Patrick's Day ever".

New to the Blogroll: Water on the Brain- and Lots on My Mind

Stephen Drake's new blog Water on the Brain - and Lots on My Mind is now up.

via the site-

Ramblings, Observations and Rants about Hydrocephalus, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and Neurodiversity - The pictures on top of the page are of me - as a baby with a still-significantly enlarged head. I'm one of a very small group of the "first generation" of kids with hydrocephalus who were treated with surgical shunts. I'm in my sixth decade of living with an interesting neuropsych profile that matches nicely with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (a label that didn't come into existence until the late 1980s). I learned about NLD or NVLD in the early 1990s but didn't become public about my own relationship to the label until a little over a year ago. I have good reasons for waiting this long - and to be public now.

Today's post is entitled " Vegetables".

h/t to FRIDA