or maybe it's "please DO taze me?" Musings on the JRC Hearings

Score one for effective PR when Brandon Sanchez was brought in front of the committee (like an animal on exhibit at a zoo, Which was gut wrentching because, well, I know folks like Brandon,) and yeah, his behaviors were a bit disconcerning, but he was not wearing the GED system, so I figured at least the hearings were positive in that the student who led Matthew Isreal to create the GED was, for eight or so hours, not wearing a GED.

I wasn't prepared to see this and see an similar photo on the cover of the Boston Globe today. It's a compelling photo, but I feel, being there, it was compelling for a whole host of different reasons than seeing it on the front page today. It's sad that the reality as a person at the hearings, essentially, Brandon was kept out of the hearing room until his uncle decided to put him on show as if he is an exotic animal. "The hardest to treat, the GED saved his life" his uncle, a member of the legislature who has stopped previous anti-aversives legislation, said. I thought he looked scared. He walked in a sullen way, head down, like the other children described in the Mother Jones article or other published reports of the treatment at JRC.

As a person who has been labeled a "behavior problem" who "probably won't finish high school" let alone college, I felt a sense of "wow, I'm lucky I had a mother that refused to even consider a residential placement." A full decade after I got my degree in English, and Disability Studies, I'm glad JRC's "advertisements" weren't big in the Lewiston School System.

1-14-08 Blogging Against Aversives

The Massachusetts legislature is hearing 4 bills specifically against JRC, a controversial facility that uses aversive therapy to treat autism and much lesser antisocial behavior. Mother Jones wrote an amazing story. JRC may make headlines, but in schools across the country time out rooms are used far too much, ed techs are asked to do "take downs" on students, and while some states have great laws regulating their use in schools, who knows what happens in non-school settings, from the "difficult" nursing home patient, to a developmentally disabled adult who might be frustrated and unable to express his thoughts fully. It just seems that while it is necessary to prevent someone from hurting themselves or others, it is a slippery slope to where it seems physical abuse could potentially occur (in any facility! staff and people with disabilities are both in danger of getting hurt), and it's always nice to think about realistic alternatives to aversive therapies.

Here is a list of bloggers who plan in writing stuff - email uppitycrip (((at))) gmail dot com if there is any you find i may have missed.

The Furnace of Doubt

Not Dead Yet

http://stirthis.blogspot.com/ - Veralidaine

http://www.crip-power.com - Mscripchick


http://www.livejournal.com/users/trinityva/ - Trinity

http://thegimpparade.blogspot.com/ - Kay Olson

http://lastcrazyhorn.wordpress.com - lastcrazyhorn


http://mybignoise.blogspot.com/ - Cilla

http://mommydearest1514.blogspot.com/ - Mommy~dearest


http://qw88nb88.wordpress.com/ - Andrea

http://disstud.blogspot.com/2008/01/whatever-works-is-not-free-pass-for.html - Penny L. Richards

It's 2008, Thank God.

I was very ill for most of December, at times terrified and panicking about pain, quality of life issues, and was really fearful for the future, though things seemed to get tremendously better once I got surgery to get rid of the pain. Somehow, now I'm much better, though today I'm in a bit of pain. I'm working on a few new projects, some that will be announced soon. John Hockenberry's article on the demise of corporate television, NBC especially, is getting HUGE play in the bloggosphere, and his new show, Billion Dollar President, is really interesting, innovative, and worth a listen to.
Currently I'm really interested in the anti-aversive legislation pending in Massachusetts, Looking at open source development and media, and open source assistive technology. I am thrilled Barack Obama won Iowa,and the Radiohead album is still pretty incredible.

be well-

Mike R.