Category: Advocacy
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Singing with Stingrays: Reflecting on Disability Pride Month
As July draws to a close, I am reflecting on Disability Pride Month. Yesterday, I was drawn into a discussion about trauma-informed practices in education at a social gathering. As usual, I found myself passionately defending the rights of disabled students in the United States and despaired over the lack of resources to support them…
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Interpersonal Safety in the Age of Behaviorism
What do reasonable behavior expectations look like? Different types of behavior are appropriate in different circumstances. The circumstances include externally observable elements as well as things that can only be internally observed by the person exhibiting the behavior.
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Wisconsin Restraint and Seclusion Survey
Making Waves & Systems Change Advocacy is a group of Wisconsin lakeshore mothers working to improve systems for meaningful inclusion, support, and acceptance of people with disabilities. Currently, there aren’t enough efficient and accessible ways for families to share their stories to advocate for real change, and we intend to do our best to turn…
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A Parent’s Story: You Don’t Get What You Don’t Fight For
This is a systemic issue. I can’t count the number of parents I have heard of with similar stories or the number of homeschooling parents who have said that school was “not a good fit” for their child (or children). Had I not been a strong advocate for my son, he would have continued to…
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Beyond Rewards and Consequences: Shifting to a Neuroscience-Aligned Approach to Parenting
What about in the home? How can we apply the five principles to parenting? How can we move away from rewards and punishment to a brain and nervous system aligned approach to parenting? Well, I am glad you asked because there is a need to shift away from some traditional parenting approaches that are failing…
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How Being a Musician Made Me a Better Advocate
Growing up as a musician, I learned the importance of listening to others. As an adult, I’ve realized that listening is not just a skill but a cornerstone of effective advocacy. It’s through listening that we understand others’ needs, empathize with their struggles, and work toward meaningful change.
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Reframing Behavior: A New Neuroscience Aligned Program for Educators
Today, I am thrilled to share what I believe to be one of the most significant accomplishments of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint in achieving our mission. I am excited to introduce you to Reframing Behavior, a groundbreaking neuroscience-based educator training program developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) in partnership with the Alliance…
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Comment to the FDA: Proposal To Ban Electrical Stimulation Devices for Self-Injurious or Aggressive Behavior
The Alliance Against Seclusion & Restraint strongly supports the proposed ban on electrical stimulation devices (ESDs), including the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED) used at The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) in Caton, Massachusetts. The JRC is the only facility in the United States that uses these harmful devices to deliver painful electrical shocks to the skin…
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Stop the Shock Now! Take Action by May 28!
There is a school in the United States where students are literally shocked into submission. These students are children and young adults with disabilities or mental illnesses, most of whom are Black or brown. At this school, called the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), staff are permitted to give the students painful skin shocks to change…
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Upcoming Congressional Briefing: How Seclusion & Restraint Harms Children and What Congress Can Do to Stop It
The Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive Interventions, and Seclusion (APRAIS) coalition, which the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint is a member, has announced a congressional briefing for May 23rd at 10:00 am to discuss the Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA). The briefing will include a diverse panel whose lived experiences with seclusion and restraint will shed…