The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities wants to support law enforcement officers and persons with disabilities to have positive and safe interactions. In order to accomplish this, during this session, participants will learn about developmental and intellectual disabilities and how they compare/contrast with mental illness. Participants will learn about different developmental disabilities, such as Autism and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and what families or direct care staff usually need when they call for help. Finally, participants will learn different techniques when interacting with a person who has, or the officer suspects has, a developmental disability.
Learning Objectives:
- Officers will understand the definition of Intellectual and Developmental Disability and be able to name a few more common examples.
- Officers will learn of the different types of settings in which people with disabilities live and work within our community.
- Officers will learn different techniques for interacting with persons with a developmental disability in a crisis situation.
- Officers will learn the importance of seeing the person, not the disability.
