Category: People
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Our visit to the Hill
My Granddaughter, Denise, 13, and I participated in the National Council’s Hill Day through NAMI’s (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Youth Move. If you clicked on the link, you saw that the first day was spent learning about effective advocacy, getting an update on the political climate and digging deeper into areas of interest. Nicolle…
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Public Comment to the Maryland State Board of Education
Today I visited the Maryland State Board of Education in Baltimore, Maryland. My goal today was to follow up on an email I had previously sent to Superintendent Salmon and the Members of the State Board of Education. While MSDE did reply to my letter they did not answer any of my questions. Watch the…
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The many names used for seclusion cells at schools
Rooms Don’t Calm Kids With Challenging Behaviors; Accommodations do. At one of my son’s schools, they called it the “calming room.” The thing is, walls don’t calm people. Many neuro-divergent children like my son need to be taught how to self-calm. Or better yet, avoid the crisis altogether with appropriate accommodations. At another of his…
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Introducing Beth Tolley
Please join me an welcoming Beth Tolley as a contributor to the Alliance Against Restraint and Seclusion. Beth retired in 2018 from a leadership position in Virginia’s lead agency for early intervention for infants and toddlers. Her experience as a parent and grandparent of children who have had or have behavioral challenges has fueled her…
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Introducing Jennifer Litton Tidd
I want to introduce one of our contributors Jennifer Litton Tidd. Jennifer has been contributing to our page and community since shortly after I started the page earlier this year. Dr. King once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long and it’s bends towards justice.” Jennifer wants to help provide the pressure needed…
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Introducing Kat Wolfe
Kat is a Colorado native and she misses the mountains greatly as she currently hails from Ann Arbor, MI. She has natural two sons 15 1/2 months apart. They will both be freshman entering high school this fall. Her oldest is medically challenged which has led to rare genetic duplication which caused global delays, asthma,…
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Why I started AASR
Hello! My name is Guy Stephens. I started The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) to raise awareness about the use of aversive practices including restraint and seclusion in classrooms across our nation. The mission of the AASR is to raise awareness about the issue of seclusion and restraint. These practices, as I’m sure you are aware, disproportionately…