Police encounters can be stressful for anyone but especially challenging for people with disabilities. A new state law aims to improve police understanding and response to those with sensory needs.

It is estimated about one in 10 people in Alabama and elsewhere has a disorder which may not be immediately noticeable to law enforcement.

Darryl J. Albert, chief of police in Montgomery, said the new law requires police to undergo training every other year. For his department, he thinks it will help officers understand behavior "triggers," and provide the public with better support.

"We are going to look at some of the outlying things like flashing lights, when they come up on the scene that can trigger an individual with sensory needs," Albert explained. "Loud sirens, a lot of officers crowding a person, can cause problems. So, we've got to be able to recognize those things and adapt accordingly, and that's what this training is going to be focused on."

Sensory needs include conditions like PTSD, autism or dementia which may affect the way people receive information through their senses. The bill to create the law, called the "Cade Noah Act," was named after the son of Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, who is on the autism spectrum.

Kulture City, a Birmingham-based nonprofit specializing in sensory needs, will conduct the training.

Julian Maha, co-founder of Kulture City, said they will give officers tools to do more than just create better interactions; they'll also save lives.

"If the officer is not aware of sensory needs or invisible disabilities, they could have a preconceived notion that the person that they're interacting with might be going through something else, for instance, a drug-related issue, an alcohol issue," Maha pointed out. "That could, in general, cause a lot of bias to that situation."

Maha emphasized their focus is on easily-recallable training, like CPR or AED training. They will also provide officers with items they can use on calls to lower stress.

"We provide them with sensory bags," Maha noted. "These will have sensory tools -- like fidget tools, noise-canceling headphones, feeling thermometers -- where someone who is going through a stressful situation can communicate if they become nonspeaking in that moment."

He added the training will be updated every year to build on what officers are learning. And while the law only requires training every other year, he noted many departments are signing up to take it yearly.

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The 1990 legislation prohibits discrimination against people with physical or mental disabilities. Along with becoming a standard part of employment law, it bolsters accessibility in the public environment.

As seminal as the ADA is, said Dr. Sharon McLennon Wier, executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York, more work must be done to achieve true accessibility.

"Even though ADA has been around for many, many years," she said, "there is still ignorance regarding what is true accessibility and how new construction at times can still be put up without following the principles of ADA universal access."

Downstate New York's transportation systems lack ADA compliance. Only 31% of New York City's Subway system is accessible to people with disabilities. Funding has been allocated to make the system 95% compliant. The work would have been done by 2055, but since Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing, these plans have been put on hold indefinitely.

A New York City Comptroller report finds only 40% of the city's disabled population is employed. Statewide reports show post-pandemic employment for people with disabilities is recovering much slower than the nation.

To change this, said McLennon Wier, classroom instructional materials need to be more accessible, "having more raised line drawings, having more Braille available, having more assistive technology that can read various types of charts and diagrams."

She said she thinks certain industries are siloed, but once they open up to better comprehend universal accessibility, more people with disabilities will join them. One place this can work is in STEM fields, as only 3% of that workforce includes people with disabilities.

July is Disability Pride Month, and today is the 34th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Federal data show that more than 42 million Americans have a disability affecting their cognition, mobility, hearing, vision or ability to provide self-care or live independently.

"Studies over and over demonstrate that people with disabilities are a very solid
part of our workforce," said Joe Xavier, director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, which helps people with disabilities thrive at work. "They stay in their jobs, they're committed to the work that they do, and so there's much less turnover with people with disabilities, thereby reducing the cost and all the work associated with that."

Advocates have said companies are responsible for providing accommodation in the same way they provide chairs and technology for all their workers. They encourage companies to follow principles of universal design when building new spaces, so access is not an afterthought.

Britanny Comegna, a member of the State Rehabilitation Council, runs a company called Deaf and Disability Mediation Services and said people shouldn't be shy about direct communication with disabled people.

"When you meet a new disabled person," she said, "you have to ask, 'How do you want to identify? What do you need? And what can I learn from you?' Ask those questions because we really do appreciate that you're making that effort to connect with me and understand me as a person."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to reduce health disparities among adults with disabilities, who have higher rates of smoking, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.


get more stories like this via email

Advocates for individuals with disabilities want the state of Nevada to further embrace what is known as the "independent living" model.

Dawn Lyons, executive director of the Nevada Statewide Independent Living Council, said the philosophy is centered around people with disabilities being their own experts on their needs and the services they require. Lyons acknowledged within the state's disability community, there exists what she called "inter-conflict," leading to a lack of a unified voice and sending mixed signals to policymakers.

"Even though we have these other voices interfering, saying different things, what it comes down to is 'We don't need to fight each other,'" Lyons emphasized. "I think the reason why we end up with that inter-conflict is because we've been put down so often and we've been told that we don't matter."

Lyons has been with the council for the last eight years and pointed out progress has been made but more needs to be done. She argued education related to independent living is key to moving the needle and the council supports developing educational materials as well as consulting with a state currently employing an effective independent living approach. Lyons explained one of those states could be Colorado, which she adds even has its own independent living agency.

John Rosenlund, program director for the Nevada Assistive Technology Collaborative, said independent living boils down to empowerment. He said he recognizes the state cannot move forward with implementing a philosophy if there are those who do not agree with it or are comfortable with the status quo.

Rosenlund contends centers for independent living across the state have strayed from independent living values such as peer support, individual and systems advocacy and independent living skills training.

"Things aren't right, they've lost the meaning of what independent living is, perhaps," Rosenlund suggested. "Or they're too focused on certain things so that stability at centers for independent living is, in my mind, instrumental."

Rosenlund added the lack of awareness and adoption of independent living's core values is having real effects across the state, with some missing out on real opportunities to enhance their lives. He reminded people without any change or challenge, there will not be any growth.