AADD Speaks Up For People With Disabilities In Work With Police Officers

"Helping to train police officers about effective ways to communicate with people living with developmental disabilities is one of the most important initiatives we started in the 2006-2007 fiscal year," said Mary Yoder, former AADD executive director and certified Crisis Intervention Team trainer.

Joined by AADD staff and board members, AADD has helped to train hundreds of officers throughout the Metro Area.

During training, police officers learn, among other important lessons, how to recognize characteristics and behaviors of people with developmental disabilities. They learn how speaking in a calm and deliberate manner can keep a situation from escalating. And they learn that people with developmental disabilities are much more likely to be the victims of crimes rather than the perpetrators.

"Officers also learn the importance of keeping an eye on people with developmental disabilities as they go to and from work on public transportation, and to always try to find a caregiver or family member to help when questioning someone with a developmental disability. These are important ways to prevent someone from being harmed, or wrongly accused of a crime. Or of being ignored when they are victims," Yoder said.

AADD volunteers and staff do their work through the Crisis Intervention Team, a collaboration of professionals dedicated to people with mental illness and other brain disorders.

For more information about how AADD participates or to sign up to become a trainer, contact Emily Severtson at emily@aadd.org

Click HERE for information about the CIT Program: Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Crisis Intervention Team