Excerpts from ABC7Chicago.com:

“The Center for Enriched Living is a social enrichment, continuing education center for people of all ages with developmental disabilities,” said Harriet Oevy, executive director of the Center for Enriched Living.

“When you call [9-1-1], there’s lights flashing. There’s usually the police. There’s two fire trucks. There’s an ambulance. There’s all these people and commotion and folks with autism or sensory disorders, just general public, it’s not a comfortable situation,” said Melissa Juarez-Ehlers, Center for Enriched Living. “So their goal is to take control of the situation and they need to know that there’s a way to take control of the situation without this aggressiveness.”

Local [firefighters and paramedics] are learning how best to handle emergencies involving people with special needs.  An emergency situation can cause distress for anyone, but people with certain disabilities may experience added stress when facing sirens and lights. One group is hoping to ease those tensions [and] firefighters from Deerfield and Lincolnshire are working to become more familiar with disability issues.

It starts with friendly interaction, from crafting flowers to spiking a volleyball.  The experience also gives those with special needs a chance to interact with first responders in a non-threatening situation. But it’s not all fun and games. The firefighters get structured classroom training in best practices for dealing with this population.

The Center for Enriched Living wants to bring area police officers on-board to offer training to them as well.

To find out more about the organization and its on-going capital campaign, visit www.centerforenrichedliving.com.

thanks Dan

Tags: Center for Enriched Living, Harriet Oevy