We are a small, but fierce, team of parents, advocates, educators, and other working to effect change, but we have a lot of work ahead of us.
Guy Stephens
Maryland, United States
He/Him/His
Founder and Executive Director
Guy Stephens is the founder and executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR), a nonprofit he started in 2019. AASR is a community of over 25,000 parents, self-advocates, teachers, school administrators, paraprofessionals, attorneys, related service providers, and others working together to influence change in supporting children whose behaviors are often misunderstood. Guy Stephens is a national expert on the issue of restraint and seclusion. He has presented at conferences and events across North America and guest lectures for undergraduate and graduate courses.
More about the Executive Director
Guy Stephens is the founder and executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR), a nonprofit organization he started in 2019. AASR is a community of over 20,000 parents, self-advocates, teachers, school administrators, paraprofessionals, attorneys, related service providers, and others working together to influence change in supporting children whose behaviors are often misunderstood. AASR’s mission is to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive discipline and outdated behavioral management approaches and end the school-to-prison pipeline. The vision of AASR is safer schools for students, teachers, and staff.
Guy Stephens is a national expert on the issue of restraint and seclusion. He has presented at conferences and events across North America and has provided guest lectures for undergraduate and graduate courses. Guy is frequently cited in news and media coverage related to restraint, seclusion, and other forms of punitive discipline. Guy is the vice president of the board of directors for the Arc of Maryland. He is on the board of directors for PDA North America. He is an active member of the Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive Interventions, and Seclusion (APRAIS). Guy is the host of the AASR Live podcast, a biweekly video podcast that started in 2020. In 2022 Guy spoke to the House Committee on Education and Labor of Congress in support of the Keeping All Students Safe Act.
Guy lives in Southern Maryland with his wife and two amazing children. His journey in advocacy began as a parent, advocating for appropriate accommodations and supports for his neurodivergent son. In 2018 Guy completed the Parents’ Place of Maryland’s LEADers training, a parent leadership program to develop leadership skills among parents of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs. In 2019 Guy completed the Maryland Coalition of Families Family Leadership Institute (FLI), a 60-hour intensive training program for parents and caregivers of school-age children with mental health needs. Guy believes that we can do better for all children and adults; if we can, we must. Guy understands that we must embrace neurodiversity and neuroscience to create safe and inclusive environments to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all.
Courtney Litzinger
Pennsylvania, United States
She/Her/Hers
Executive Assistant
Courtney earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has spent over 15 years dedicating her professional life to the human services field, working with individuals with both intellectual and physical disabilities. She is the mother of 3 amazing children, the oldest of whom is Autistic. Her goal is to support the removal of barriers for families in their communities.
Olivia Courtoy
Massachusetts, United States
She/Her/Hers
Intern
Olivia Courtoy is a fall 2023 semester intern from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University where she will complete a Social Impact MBA this December. Throughout this internship, Olivia’s work will focus on creating a fundraising plan to help AASR reach its goals to expand its outreach. Prior to The Heller School, Olivia also completed a Bachelors in Psychology and Masters of Teaching English As An Additional Language from the University of Southern California and spent 7 years teaching at international elementary schools throughout China and Taiwan.
Our Volunteers
Our work would not be possible without the help of our amazing volunteers. Our volunteer team is dedicated to reducing and eliminating the use of restraint and seclusion in schools across the world.
Jennifer Abbanat
California, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Jennifer is a wife and a mom to three neurodivergent kids (ages 21,18, and 15), each with their own unique needs and challenges. Two of Jennifer’s kids are autistic. The two youngest have chronic medical conditions that require daily care. Jennifer has had to learn how best to advocate and support each of them within the different systems of society (esp medical and educational systems) over the years by essentially creating their own individual “playbook.”
Cassia Griffin Bennett
Washington, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Cass Griffin Bennett is an autistic and ADHD self-advocate and parent of multiple young autistic children. Cass is passionate about all things equity, early access to robust high-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and anti-behaviorism harm reduction. Her guiding goal in parenting is to raise her children to be their own best self-advocates. Cass has a career background in professional services business development and a degree in Psychology from Smith College.
Karen Bures
Oregon, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Karen Bures is a behavioral specialist with an accumulated 15 years of experience supporting neurodivergent kids exhibiting intensive behavior. She began her career post-college working in a residential treatment center and eventually obtained her certification in special education. Karen has worked within her school district’s behavior program for the past 10 years. She currently is working at a nonprofit agency in Bend, OR creating programming for an after-school program that serves neurodivergent kids and provides academic support as well as social-emotional learning and engaging and purposeful play. Karen has begun leaning into advocacy around restraint and seclusion and abbreviated days and has submitted pieces for the alliance!
Pam Collins
British Columbia, Canada
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Pam proudly identifies as a neurodivergent parent to two amazing multiply neurodivergent adult sons. She has been providing consulting, coaching, and training services to families and community partners for over 24 years in British Columbia and recently outside of Canada. Pam is super passionate about the most current research in psychology, especially related to neurodivergence (Autism, PDA, ADHD) and neuroscience (Trauma, anxiety, and depression). Pam lives to share information with others so they make informed decisions, experience joy, and be hopeful.
Sheena Cureton
Kentucky, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Sheena has worked with children for 20 years. She discovered that teachers in her son’s Pre-k classroom were secluding not only her son but other children as a form of punishment. Seeing firsthand the changes in her son and the trauma it caused, she stopped working for the schools and began advocating. She founded Myrelateus, a resource outlet for special needs and Autism.
Danielle Darling
Ohio, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Danielle has been an elementary school teacher for 20 years. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two sons. She has a passion for teaching and advocating for children. Her advocacy journey began when her oldest was diagnosed with Autism. When he was restrained at his daycare, she knew she wanted to do more to spread awareness on the negative effects and dangers of seclusion and restraint.
Stephanie Davidar
New Jersey, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Stephanie is a non-traditional pre-med to-be who is interested in advocating for disability rights. As a former policy fellow around the topic of disability, she understands that there are flaws in the way that the education system deals with its students like her. She also acknowledges the many disparities in the treatment of students based on socioeconomic and other demographic factors. She recognizes that seclusion and restraint can be dehumanizing and traumatizing. She is passionate about using her knowledge of policy and law to advocate for change.
Erica Evans
Indiana, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Erica is passionate about helping neurodivergent learners find success in educational settings. As a parent, Erica has a firsthand understanding of the importance of appropriate support and accommodations. Her most valuable insights come from her own lived experience as someone that went undiagnosed for decades. Erica earned a high school equivalency credential as a young adult before pursuing a BS in physics from Indiana University. Erica serves as a researcher for PDA North America, support group leader, IEP advocate, and lived experience specialist. Through her outreach, Erica hopes to identify and remove barriers, challenge ableism, dismantle deficit-based frameworks, promote awareness and acceptance, and organize for system change.
Ann Gaydos
Colorado, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Ann worked in the software industry in a previous life but decided to home school her four children after her oldest child was repeatedly hurt by inappropriate and abusive restraints and seclusions in public school, and she could get no help from the administration or school board. Ann enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, writing, and spending time with her family and pets.
Emma Gaydos
California, United States
She/They/Them
Volunteer
Emma is a research coordinator at Stanford with a background in psychology and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies (GWSS). In her experience tutoring children, she recognized the importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. Emma brings a multidisciplinary, intersectional, and inclusion-centered lens to AASR research and community-building projects.
Jennifer Garzia
Florida, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Jennifer has a degree in Psychology & Education from Widener University. Her first son was diagnosed at birth with Prader-Willi and XYY. After nearly a decade of the school-based restraints and seclusion, Jennifer felt an obligation to bring awareness and change to outdated laws to ensure that every student’s educational experience is met with safety & dignity.
Chantelle Hyde
New Brunswick, Canada
She/Her/Hers
Lead Canadian Volunteer
With the support of her husband Sheldon, Chantelle became an active advocate against restraint and seclusion after learning that their daughter was being locked in a room at school in rural New Brunswick. Chantelle’s path to advocacy was paved by her desire to be a part of a community of support for other families. Chantelle hopes to bring positive change to the systems in Canada.
Deborah Jollimore
New Brunswick, Canada
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Deborah Jollimore lives in New Brunswick, Canada with her husband and three autistic sons. She has been advocating for evidence-based, trauma and neuroscience-informed interventions for her three children since 2007. She is currently fighting four provincial human rights cases against the AESD, where her Children attend. Deborah is a strong, resounding voice against seclusion and restraint and a relentless advocate for inclusion and the Universal Design for Learning.
Amy Kriewaldt
Connecticut, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Amy Kriewaldt is a writer, podcaster, and autistic activist. A mother of three school-aged children with learning disabilities, she is passionate about protecting their rights. After her daughter experienced restraint in both Washington and Connecticut, she decided to get involved in taking action for positive change. She is working on an M.S. in Psychology, researching body language and nonspeaking communication.
Linda Kryvoruka
Virginia, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Linda Kryvoruka is a retired Nurse Anesthetist who was always interested in Social Justice issues relating to disadvantaged populations, especially regarding school systems and their methods of enforcing behavior. Linda is an alumnus participating in the Transitional Justice Lab at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, with a special focus on carceral spaces and the school-to-prison pipeline.
Emily LaMarca
Massachusetts, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Emily began her advocacy work when her son Cole was born fifteen years ago with Down syndrome. At the age of ten, Cole was repeatedly restrained and secluded in his Massachusetts Elementary School. When learning that Cole’s story was not his alone, Emily knew it was important to focus her advocacy efforts on working to eliminate these dangerous and traumatic practices.
Linnea Lowe
Arizona, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Linnea is an Ohio independently licensed social worker and currently works as a teleheath therapist primarily with children and youth while living in Arizona. Her three years of working as a school-based therapist in a variety of public schools led to a passion for creating and cultivating educational settings where children are relationally and physically safe.
Val Luther
New Jersey, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Val is a mother of 2 Neurodivergent children, ages 7 and 8, and an Elementary Music Teacher of 16 years. Her children’s school challenges have propelled her to learn about Neurodivergence, listen and learn directly from Autistic voices, and delve into understanding the Neuroscience that will better support her children and students. The works of Dr. Mona Delahooke, Dr. Lori Desautels and Dr. Bruce Perry have inspired a complete paradigm shift in her understanding of behaviors and how to best support kids.
Sam Maloney
New York, United States
He/Him/His
Volunteer
Sam is a self-advocate who is against the use of restraint and seclusion and a supporter of the Keeping All Students Safe Act. Sam was diagnosed with autism at age three. Sam was restrained when he was just five years old until he was fourteen. Sam runs his own photography business. Sam also works to shift the way people think about autism: from “awareness” to “acceptance.”
Sidney McGillicky MSW, RSW
Saskatchewan, Canada
He/Him/His
Volunteer
Sidney is an Approved EMDR Consultant and also a Certified EMDR therapist who specializes in the treatment of complex and developmental trauma with 20 yrs experience working as a therapist. Sidney also is a Certified NMT(c) Level One Practitioner utilizing advanced knowledge and understanding of neurological development resulting from adverse and traumatic experiences through the lifespan. Sidney is client-centered and integrative, with an understanding of the consequences of trauma and developing interventions that focus on healing and recovery.
Amer Moosa
Maryland, United States
He/Him/His
Volunteer Committee
Amer has a master’s degree in Bioinformatics from Johns Hopkins University. He is a native of Washington DC and lives in Potomac, Maryland. He believes that all students with disabilities should be treated with respect, compassion, and dignity. Amer is committed to bringing change in legislation that will abolish restraints and seclusion.
Kat Moosa
Maryland, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer Committee
Kat has a graduate degree in Public Health from Yale University and has seen the consequences first hand of seclusions and restraints. The devastating and traumatic effects of abuse in classrooms led her on a journey to find solutions to eliminate the practice in all schools. She is a strong believer in mainstreaming students with disabilities. Kat is also fiercely passionate about passing legislation to stop restraints and seclusion.
Mo Pennington
West Virginia, United States
She/They
Volunteer
Mo is a Special Education Teacher who has spent time working in Tennessee and now West Virginia (although they hail from Alabama). Mo is passionate about changing the way that teachers and schools approach students labeled with “behavior challenges.” Mo believes in neurodiversity-affirming teaching approaches and hopes to see models shift away from such a heavy emphasis on student compliance as the measure of success, punitive consequences, and Applied Behavior Analysis as the only approach taught to educators.
Teresa Olafson
North Dakota, United States
She/Her/Hers
Volunteer
Teresa is an amazing parent, professional nurse, and advocate. Teresa is guided by the belief that we should not have to change our children to fit the world. Teresa believes that we must change the world for our children. Teresa believes that it is our responsibility to empower and advocate for our children’s needs through collective and purposeful actions.
