ECI Logo
ECI Header

Navigation Menu:

Maroon Colored Diamond  IL Philosophy

Maroon Colored Diamond  Services

Maroon Colored Diamond  Our Center

Maroon Colored Diamond  Board of Directors

Maroon Colored Diamond  Job Opportunities

Maroon Colored Diamond  Calendar of Events

Maroon Colored Diamond  Center's Events

Maroon Colored Diamond  Fundraisers

Maroon Colored Diamond  Resources

Maroon Colored Diamond  Articles

 

Maroon Colored Diamond  Publications

Maroon Colored Diamond  Classifieds

Maroon Colored Diamond  Survey

 

 
 
 
        Website is best
     viewed in a display
      size of 1024 x 768

Free DHTML scripts provided by
Dynamic Drive

Make a
Tax Deductible
Donation Now !

 

 

This page was last
updated on
Friday, May 17, 2013
    
Action Needed to Protect Children
in Virginia from the Use of Restraint,
Seclusion and Aversives

 

    The Virginia State Board of Education is considering proposed Regulations
    Governing the Operation of Private Schools for Students with Disabilities.
    These regulations would govern the use of restraint, seclusion, and
    aversives with children with disabilities.  As currently drafted, they would
    permit practices that can injure, traumatize, and even kill students.  They
    would permit dangerous and cruel aversives that harm students.  They
    would allow prone restraint and other restraints that impede breathing.
    They do not fully protect parent's right to know or to be able to have a
    debriefing where they work with the school to make changes.  Children
    have died and been injured in restraint and seclusion.  They are so
    dangerous that they must be limited to emergencies where they are
    absolutely necessary to protect someone from physical harm.  But the
    proposed regulations have ambiguities that would permit their use in
    other situations.

 

    The Virginia Coalition of Students with Disabilities is urging people with
    disabilities, family members and other advocates to share their views
    with the Virginia Board of Education. The Coalition has developed the
    attached public comment on the proposed Regulations.

 

    INDIVIDUALS We are asking individuals to write to the Board of
    Education at BOE@doe.virginia.gov and send the one paragraph
    email below to them.  Or write your own letter sharing your concerns with
    the Board of Education.

 

          I support the comments of the Virginia Coalition of Students with
          Disabilities regarding the Virginia Department of Education's
          proposed Regulations Governing the Operation of Private Schools
          for Students with Disabilities.  As currently drafted, the proposed
          regulations could allow dangerous restraint, seclusion, and aversive
          practices that can injure, traumatize, and even kill children with
          disabilities. The GAO has documented the deaths of 20 children
          from restraint; other children have died and been injured in
          seclusion.  The regulations should ban restraints that threaten life
          or impede breathing, including prone restraint.  Restraint and
          seclusion should be used only in emergencies where they are
          absolutely necessary to prevent physical injury to someone.  They
          should never be part of student's behavioral plans.  Parents should
          receive oral and written notice of their use, and be part of a debriefing
          process.  Restraints should never stop children from communicating
          medical distress.  VDOE should restore the initial proposal to ban
          aversive stimuli—such as chemical sprays, electric shock, placing
          children in freezing cold, and excessively loud noises.  Aversives
          are painful, inhumane, and should never be used.  Please protect
          children with disabilities from these dangerous practices and adopt
          the Coalition's comments.

 

    ORGANIZATIONS  We are asking organizations (state, national, or local),
    to write a letter to VDOE and to also sign the Coalition's comments.  Our
    comments will be going to the members of the Board of Education and
    the Superintendent.  We would like to have a number of organizations
    signed on to show the strong support for our comments.  Please go to
    http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y55KKLQ to sign on to the Coalition
    comments. This site allows us to download sign-ons into an Excel spread
    sheet.  Please sign on an organization only if you are authorized to do so.
    Your organization will be included with the Coalition’s comments if we
    receive your response by Tuesday, May 21, 5pm. This survey Monkey
    sign-on is only for organizations. It is very important for individuals to
    send an email directly to the Board of Education.  Your views as
    constituents are important and they need to hear directly from you.

 

   For more information, click here.
 
   Thank you for your action on this important issue.

 

Maureen Hollowell
Virginia Coalition for Students with Disabilities
757-351-1584
mhollowell@endependence.org

Virginia-wide Directory Available for

Consumer-Directed Assistants

 

  A Statewide Directory is now available for people who

  would like to become a Consumer-Directed Assistant

  and for people who need a Consumer-Directed

  Assistant.  People wanting to become assistants can

  list their skills, availability, location, and contact

  information. People with disabilities that need

  assistants can search for a person to work with them

  that matches their needs.

 

  To list your name and skills on the Directory or to

  search for a Consumer-Directed Assistant, go to

  www.CDSupport.info

 

  A Consumer-Directed Assistant helps an individual

  with a disability with supports needed to live in the

  community.  There are several programs in which

  people hire their own staff.  Most programs require,

  at a minimum, that to be a Consumer-Directed

  Assistant, a person must:

• be 18 years old
• have a Social Security number
• pass a criminal background check
• pass a Child Protective Services check, if
  working with a child.

 

 The Directory is new. We welcome your feedback on

 the Directory. Please send your comments to

 VaWaivers@endependence.org.  Revisions will be

 made to the Directory based on use and feedback.

 

  The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) provided

   funding for the development of the Directory through the

   Improvement and Expansion of Consumer-Directed Services

   grant awarded to the Virginia Association of Centers for

   Independent Living.  The Directory was developed and is hosted

   by Public Partnerships (PPL).  More information on VBPD can be

   found at www.vbpd.virginia.gov. Virginia Association of Centers

   for Independent Living information can be found at www.vacil.org.

 


"Opening Doors To Opportunities With The Disability Community"
 

What is Independent Living?


   What is Independent Living?  Essentially, it is living just like
   everyone else having opportunities to make decisions that
   affect one’s life, able to pursue activities of one’s own
   choosing—limited only in the same ways that one’s non-
   disabled neighbors are limited. 
 
   Independent Living should not be defined in terms of living on
   one’s own, being employed in a job fitting one’s capabilities
   and interests, or having an active social life.  These are
   aspects of living independently.  Independent Living has to do
   with self-determination.  It is having the right and the
   opportunity to pursue a course of action.  And, it is having the
   freedom to fail—and to learn from one’s failures, just as non-
   disabled people do.


To access information on upcoming events, click here.
 
To sign up or request accommodations, contact Emily Fisher
at 461-8007 or 351-1587 Voice, 461-7527 TDD or email at
 
PLEASE NOTE:  If ECI does not have at least 5 people
signed up for any of the workshops/groups with a
deadline to sign up, we will cancel the workshop/group.
If we cancel a workshop/group, we will notify those
that have signed up of the cancellation and will
put the information on phone extension 400.

 


Items Of Interest


 
Find out how
you can help the Endependence Center
 
For more information,
 

 
CRHA is accepting applications
until December 31st
for its public
housing waiting list

 

For more information,
visit www.crhava.org

 
Justice Department
Settlement
 
The Justice Department
announced a settlement
was reached in a
lawsuit over alleged
ADA violations
against students with
disabilities by Nobel
Learning Communities,
Inc. private schools.
 
To review the settlement,

ECI Media Center
 
The room can be
scheduled by
calling 461-8007.
For more information,

Virginia Easy Access
 
Virginia's
"No Wrong Door"
initiative launches
"Virginia
Easy Access".
For more information,

Money Follows
the Person (MFP)
 
Virginia launches website
describing community
living choice project for
seniors and individuals
with disabilities.
For more information,
click here

PIER Meetings
 
PIER (Protecting
Individuals with disabilities
Educational Rights)
provides information
on special education
rights, regulations,
evaluations and more.
For more information,
contact Cheryl Ward at 351-1585

FREE Online
Course on the
American with
Disabilities Act
 
For more information,

FREE Online
Course on
Disability Rights
 
For more information,

 

 | About Us | Contact Us | Directions | Donations | Site Map |

Endependence Center, Inc.
6300 East Virginia Beach Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23502-2827
Phone:(757) 461-8007 Voice
(757) 461-7527 TTY
Fax: (757) 455-8223 or (757) 461-5375

Hours of Operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday

Site Designed By: www.yourwebhostpros.com