The email was a posting on a military yahoo group I belong to, and was from Michael E. Robinson, Sr., who is the Director of The Office of Advocacy for Autistic Children. When I read his posting, I knew I had to reach out and help in any way I could. Of course me being the person that I am, I had to "meet" Michael first. So I called him up! Let me tell you, Michael is AMAZING! and the autism community has a solid and devoted supporter of putting an end to the abuse that our children suffer. Michael has drafted Faith's Bill, and is looking for feedback from the autism community.
"Either way until they figure out how to properly certify the use of
ANY restraint or use ANY seclusion, we must Ban it as a Nation. Too
many children have died over simple non compliance. A little disabled
girl goes to jail in handcuffs in Idaho because she couldn't wear a
shirt ?"
Michael E. Robinson, Sr.
And this was the link...
Battery charges dropped against 8-year-old girl in N. Idaho
They were considering charging an eight year old with autism? The crime was committed by the school. Children have died. Faith has died, and at the hands of educators. It should be a federal crime. What Nathan went through along with another child in his classroom (whose mother is a close friend of mine), should be a federal crime. Almost a year later the memories still tramatize him, and his friend as well. Just so ya know... The teacher that was responsible for my son's injury... well... she no longer has her job.
Another quote from Mike...
"How stupid does this have to get ? How come they couldn't simply let
a child with a disability be a Child ? Until they can there's no
other choice at this point other than to put legislation before
congress and our new President and have Seclusion and Illegal
Restraint banned."
Please provide Mike with your feedback for Faith's Bill. The injury, abuse, and killing of our children, because they have autism, MUST STOP! You can reach Mike at Peace4kids at yahoo dot com.
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2 comments:
Please pass this information on to your readers.
Regards,
Phyllis
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
http://familiesagainstrestraintandseclusion.blogspot.com/
National Disability Rights Network Releases Shocking Report 1/13/2009 on Seclusion and Restraint in U.S. Schools
REPORT : School is Not Supposed to Hurt http://www.napas.org/
U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) Discusses New Report on Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools at 1/13/09 Press Conference in Washington D.C. http://polfeeds.com/item/Dodd-Discusses-New-Report-on-Use-of-Seclusion-and-Restraint-in-Schools
Awareness video on Restraint and Seclusion that was sent to the National Disability Rights Network on 01/16/2009
Restraint and Seclusion Behind Closed Doors 1-23-09
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fkhhv2fUwDg
U.S. Representative George Miller Asks GAO to Investigate Cases of Abuse and Neglect of Schoolchildren
January 27, 2009 2:21 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to further investigate recent reports of seclusion and restraint of children in public and private schools across the country. Miller’s committee plans to hold a hearing on these practices in the coming months. Earlier this month, the National Disability Rights Network released a report detailing hundreds of cases where abusive uses of seclusion and restraint by school staff injured or traumatized schoolchildren, many with disabilities. The report revealed cases where students were abusively pinned to the floor, handcuffed, locked in closets, and subjected to other acts of violence. In some of the cases, children died.
As Miller noted in his letter to GAO today, a prior GAO investigation conducted at Miller’s request uncovered thousands of similar cases of abuse at teen residential treatment facilities across the country. GAO’s work laid the groundwork for legislation to address these abuses, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 (H.R. 6358), which the House passed in June.
“Unfortunately, vulnerable children and teens are being abused all too often in other contexts,” Miller wrote. “To assist in the Committee’s ongoing efforts to help protect our children, I specifically request that FSI investigate the use of restraint, seclusion, and harmful aversive handling of children and youth in private and public schools.”
http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2009/01/chairman-miller-asks-gao-to-in.shtml
Report: Kids are restrained, secluded
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 13, 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5huWEo5_-u5Lhk3Y4zkjLDrWLvLLQD95MING80 WASHINGTON -- School children across the U.S. have been injured or killed when they were restrained or secluded, a disability rights group says. A House committee announced a hearing on the issue.
The National Disability Rights Network, in a report Tuesday, identified cases across the country in which children, many of them with disabilities,
were traumatized, injured or killed at school.
For example, 15-year-old Michigan boy with autism died while being restrained by four school employees, the report said.
In another case, a 13-year-old Georgia boy hanged himself in a locked concrete seclusion room after pleading with teachers not to isolate him for
hours at a time.
The group said its report "is clearly just the tip of the iceberg" because the government doesn't have any system of collecting data about these
abuses.
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said he would schedule a hearing on the issue.
"This report raises serious questions about the treatment of school children, the qualifications and training of staff, and what actions have
been taken to address these unconscionable practices," Miller said. "No child should be at risk or in danger while at school, no matter what the circumstances."
FYI...Michael E. Robinson is a scam artist:
http://disabilityfraudalert.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/advocate-fraud-alert/
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