Thanks to funding provided by the Oakland Together Grant, administered by the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, Progressive Lifestyles, Inc. hosted a very productive and fun collaboration session last week with the dedicated and caring professionals from the Waterford Police Department.
Individuals with disabilities, such as autism, can be vulnerable during police interactions due to communication differences, challenges with understanding safety skills, sensory needs, as well as many other factors. To secure the best possible outcome for everyone involved, we're partnering with local law enforcement to engage in mutual learning opportunities, improve relations, and develop effective and efficient emergency procedures.
Police Lieutenant Chester Bartle and Emergency Manager Brendan Brosnan were kind enough to give us some of their valuable time to discuss important safety topics with our Crisis Response Team (CRT). The CRT at Progressive Lifestyles, Inc. is an elite group of incredibly skilled caregivers that receives special training to respond to emergency situations involving individuals who live in the homes we support. Through the Oakland Together grant, we are now able to have CRT on call 24/7 as well as provide enhanced training opportunities for all our caregivers on crisis prevention and response strategies.
Topics during this session included: concise and clear communication with officers during a crisis, responding effectively to an emergency, de-escalation strategies during police contact, law enforcement procedures during response, and many others.
