Articles of Interest
The following articles are directly related to emergency response and individuals with disabilities. Some of them contain information that identifies topics of interest that would benefit first responders relative to pertinent information, matters of concern, and best practices.
Please note, some entries will have brackets [example] to correct improper terminology in the article title.
We are happy to receive any links/articles that you find that are not listed on this page. While we do not add every article we come across, we will certainly consider each contribution.
To view articles about incidents involving first responders and people with disabilities, visit our Incidents Map.
First Responder Training
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- 07/30/09 - Nacogdoches, Texas - "Nac. firefighters receive training on [addressing calls involving people with disabilities]" (The Daily Sentinel)
- 03/02/11 - Saint Paul, Minnesota - "Quietly making a difference" (Star Tribune)
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- 03/17/12 - New York - "Awareness key for cops, people with disabilities" (timesunion.com)
- 11/19/12 - New Jersey - "N.J. Assembly panel OKs bill to curb police violence against [people with mental illness or developmental disabilities]" (NJ.com)
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- 09/03/13 - "Are Cops Properly Trained To [Help] People With Disabilities?" (National Public Radio)
- 11/16/13 - New York, New York - "Times Square Shooting: Experts Say Police Need Better Training to [Help] People with Mental Illnesses" (CBS News)
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- 01/14 - Albany, New York - "Governor Cuomo Asks Justice Center to Expand Specialized Training for Law Enforcement" (NYS Justice Center E-News)
- 02/11/14 - Frederick, Maryland - "Ethan Saylor's legacy: Frederick deputies learn how to interact with [people with intellectual disabilities]" (Washington Post)
- 07/26/14 - Toronto, Ontario - "Innovative recommendations for Toronto police [interacting with people with mental illnesses]" (New York Times)
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- 03/21/15 - Ellensburg, Washington - "EMS, police are training with more information" (Daily Record)
- 03/24/15 - St. Paul, Minnesota - "Empathy can be better than force, Twin Cities police trainers teach" (Star Tribune)
- 04/19/15 - Riverwoods, Illinois - "First responders work to ease stress of emergencies for people with disabilities" (ABC 7 Chicago)
- 04/27/15 - Cranston, Rhode Island - "Cranston Police Receive Autism Training" (Rhode Island National Public Radio)
- 06/07/15 - Charlotte, North Carolina - "NC Encouraging All First Responders, Law Enforcement to Receive Autism Training" (TWC News Charlotte)
- 4/30/16 - Franklin, Ohio - "Ohio responders get lesson in American Sign Language" (EMS1.com)
Challenging Situations
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- 03/13/11 - Virginia "In Va. assault case, anxious parents recognize 'dark side of autism'" (Washington Post)
- 12/06/11 - Hamilton, Alabama - "School accuses 14-year old [girl with non-verbal autism] of felony assault" (ABC 33/40)
- 12/16/11 - Enniskillen, Ireland - "Police failed in their duty to family of missing boy who was later found drowned" (Belfast Telegraph)
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- 01/14/14 - Rotterdam, New York - "$1M lawsuit after troubled teen's arm broken by police in removal from school bus" - (timesunion.com)
- 06/04/14 - Oakland, California - "California high school security guard tosses boy from wheelchair, pummels him moments before hallway attack" (New York Daily News)
- 09/24/14 - Daytona Beach, Florida - "Family says man shot, killed by Volusia County deputy was deaf" (WESH.com - Orlando)
- 11/21/14 - Illinois - "Case Dismissed: National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability Provides Critical Support to Bring Justice in Illinois" (The Arc Blog)
- 05/22/15 - United States - "Why no outrage for other victims of police brutality?" (The Hill)
- 10/06/15 - United States - "Feds: School Resource Officer Must Be Mindful of ADA" (Disability Scoop)
Mental Health Reports
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- 10/13/11 - Toronto, Ontario - "Cops criticized over handling of [persons with mental illnesses]" (PoliceOne.com News)
- 09/25/13 - New York, New York - "Experts, Lawmakers Want Changes To NYPD Response To [People with Mental Illnesses]" (CBS New York)
- 08/19/14 - San Antonio, Texas - "Mental Health Cops Help Reweave Social Safety Net In San Antonio" (National Public Radio)
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- 03/15/15 - Albany, New York - "NY lawmakers back police training on [people with mental illness]" (Associated Press)
- 03/25/15 - United States - "Methods That Police Use on [People with Mental Illness] Are Madness" (The Atlantic)
- 05/19/15 - San Francisco, California - "Should Police Accommodate People with Mental Illness in Crisis? The Supreme Court Weighs In—Kind Of" (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
- 05/27/15 - United States - "Mental illness is no crime" (CNN)
- Summer 2015 - United States - "This is Crazy - Criminalizing Mental Health Part 1" (Brave New Films)
- 07/09/15 - San Francisco, California - "The Trials of Teresa Sheehan" (BuzzFeed)
- 12/15/15 - United States - "Don't Blame Mental Illness for Gun Violence" (New York Times)
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- 02/01/16 - San Francisco, California - "S.F. police killing of [man with mental illness] exposes reform changes" (San Francisco Chronicle)
- 02/10/16 - United States - "Selective Empathy: Policing Black Women with Mental Illness" (Huffington Post)
- 05/25/16 - United States - "Preparing for the Unimaginable: How chiefs can safeguard officer mental health before and after mass casualty events" (NAMI)
Corrections
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- 02/08/12 - Delaware - "Former DART driver gets 10 years for sex assault of [woman with intellectual disabilities]" (Newark Post)
- 02/20/12 - Massachusetts - "Massachusetts teen reportedly shocked for hours at special needs school" (Fox News)
- 02/23/12 - Tutwiler, Mississippi - "Chief fired after videotaped prank on [teen with intellectual disability]" (WMC Action News 5)
- 02/28/12 - "Adults With Disabilities More Likely To Be Victimized" (Disability Scoop)
- 03/30/12 - Houston County, Alabama - "Two teachers caught taunting boy with cerebral palsy, 10, as 'gross' and 'disgusting' after his mother bugged his wheelchair with recording device" (Daily Mail Reporter)
- 04/11/12 - Canton, Massachusetts - "Graphic video of teen being restrained, shocked played in court" (FOX Boston)
- 09/21/12 - San Diego, California - "Alleged Abusive Caregiver has Troubled Past" (NBC 7 San Diego)
- 12/19/12 - "Crime Against Persons With Disabilities, 2009-2011 - Statistical Tables" (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
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- 05/21/14 - Miami-Dade County, Florida - "Allegations of Abuse of [People with Mental Illnesses] In Florida Prison" (Florida Center for Investigative Reporting)
- 06/14 - Alabama - "Alabama Violates the Rights of Prisoners with Disabilities" (Southern Poverty Law Center)
- 12/16/14 - United States - "How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners With Disabilities" (Daily Beast)
- 12/23/14 - Erie County, New York - "Justice Department Reaches Settlement With the County of Erie, New York to Prevent Disability Discrimination at the Erie County Jail" (US Department of Justice)
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- 03/09/15 - Denver, Colorado - "Nearly all Denver jail inmates in high-risk unit have brain trauma" (Denver Post)
- 07/14/16 - United States - "Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses in County Jails: A Survey of Jail Staff’s Perspectives" (Public Citizen’s Health Research Group and The Treatment Advocacy Center)
United States Department of Justice
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- April 2000 - "Emerging Judicial Strategies for [People with Mental Illnesses] in the Criminal Caseload: Mental Health Courts in Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, San Bernardino, and Anchorage" (Bureau of Justice Assistance)
- 2007 - "Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court" (Bureau of Justice Assistance)
- 12/02/08 - Texas - "Feds fault Texas' treatment of people with mental disabilities" (The Associated Press)
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- 07/24/02 - Little Rock, Arkansas - "Special Report: My Brother's Keeper: 'Drink or Drown'" (Arkansas Online)
- 11/24/08 - Korea - "Court Ruling on Rapists Draws Anger" (Korea Times)
- 03/02/10 - Buffalo, New York - "DA: Mother Forced [Daughter with Intellectual Disabilities] Laura Cummings to Eat Feces and Die" (CBS News)
- 03/10/10 - Texas - "Texas 'Fight Club' Organizer Pleads Guilty to Harming State School [Residents with Intellectual Disabilities]" (ABC News)
- 07/17/10 - Morganton, North Carolina - "[Director of School for the Deaf] Suspended" (Deaf News Today)
- 12/07/10 - New York, New York - "[Death of NY patient with autism] ruled homicide" (Fox News)
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- 02/02/12 - Canada - "Supreme Court ruling in case of woman with disability admirable" (The Globe and Mail)
- 08/05/13 - Henderson, Nevada - "Justice Department Reaches Settlement with the City of Henderson, Nev. to Improve Law Enforcement Communications with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing" (Justice News)
- 12/13/13 - United States - "National disability group The Arc rips ATF operation, demands reform" (Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel)
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- 5/3/16 - Columbia, South Carolina - "Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department to Ensure Communication Access for Persons with Hearing Disabilities" (Justice News)
Instances of Discrimination/Victimization/Abuse/Neglect
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- 03/01/11 - "The Invisible Hate Crime" (The Pacific Standard)
- 12/12/11 - Louisville, Kentucky - "School Accused of Putting [Boy with Autism] in Duffel Bag" (FOX News)
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- 03/06/13 - Long Island, New York - "Long Island man issued summons for laughing too loud in his own home" (New York Post)
- 07/09/13 - Toms River, New Jersey - "Mom pleads not guilty in death of [daughter with disabilities]" (USA Today)
- 12/24/13 - "[Athletes with developmental disabilities] vulnerable" (ESPN)
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- 02/06/14 - New York, New York - "Hamptons Group Home Workers Allegedly Ran 'Developmentally Disabled Fight Club'" (CBS New York)
- 03/06/14 - Georgia - "Judge overturns rape verdict because the victim 'didn’t behave like a victim'” (Salon)
- 09/14/14 - Harrisburg, New Jersey - "Court documents detail parents' alleged abusive pattern before Jarrod Tutko Jr.'s death" (PennLive/Patriot News)
- 10/09/14 - Bangor, Maine - "Bangor nursing home faces sanctions after maggots found in resident's bandaged wound" (Bangor Daily News)
- 12/05/14 - Folsom, California - "NorCal Boy, 12, Kills Self After Being Bullied for Being a Cheerleader" (KTLA 5, California)
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Download/View
MAR 14 2016 - NBC News: Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: Report by ARI MELBER and MARTI HAUSE
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- 3/9/16 - Albany, New York "State workers arrested after leaving [man with disabilities] in van, Albany sheriff says" (Times Union)
- 4/19/16 - Albrightsville, Pennsylvania "Group Home Troubles: License Revoked" (WNEP 16 News)
Other Articles of Interest
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- 07/31/09 - United States - "U.S. signs U.N. pact on disabilities" (Los Angeles Times)
- 12/10/13 - "Supreme Court To Consider What Defines Intellectual Disability" (Disability Scoop)
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- 01/11/14 - "The legacy of Ethan Saylor" (The Denver Post)
- 05/16/14 - United States - "How Misunderstanding Disability Leads to Police Violence" (The Atlantic)
- 08/25/14 - United States - "Why do police keep seeing a persons's disability as a provocation?" (Washington Post)
- 11/05/14 - Australia - "Deaf firefighter power couple blaze ahead with Plumpton Rural Fire Brigade volunteers" (Daily Telegraph)
- 11/10/14 - United States - "How the Criminal Justice System Fails the Deaf Community" (Huffington Post)
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Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: Report
Download/ViewHalf of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: Report
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/half-people-killed-police-suffer-mental-disability-report-n538371 -
- 11/06/15 - "US Supreme Court blocks execution of man with IQ of 67" (Rooted in Rights)
- 02/04/16 - "It's Time to Eliminate Offensive Terms about People with Disabilities" (Huffington Post)
- 02/11/16 - "Study: Wandering a 'Pervasive Problem' For Kids With Disabilities" (Disability Scoop)