Woodbury Reports, Inc.
Bonners Ferry, ID

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Keeping Youth
With Disabilities Safe

The Woodbury Report
On K4HD.com LIVE
Emily Iland - Author and Creator of Be Safe the Movie

Emily Iland is the creator of a new "modeling" video and curriculum designed to teach individuals with disabilities how to interact safely with police and law enforcement. Joining host Lon Woodbury on "The Woodbury Report" live on K4hd.com, Emily explained that often people see young adults on the street, behaving oddly- as if on drugs- who are actually going through a sensory overload or meltdown and their first inclination is to call the police, but this essentially escalates the situation. With over 50,000 children with autism turning 18 every year, things can go very wrong- very quickly for these young people due to their lack of social, behavioral or non-communicative abilities when it comes to interacting with the police. "These kids don't know what to do or to ask for help when confronted by police. There are no physical ways of recognizing autism, such as other disabilities like Down syndrome, yet for these kids, developmentally they function more like a 9 year old." This invisible disability can be hard for police to read or recognize so therefore you hear terrible stories of autism youth being tazered or shot due to incompliance with the law enforcement.

As a mom herself to a son with autism, Emily is a leader in the autism field and advocate for these young people. Having collaborated with law enforcement agencies, Emily has trained thousands of police officers on how to recognize and respond to people with autism and related disabilities. But the education had to be two sided- so she created the movie- Be Safe the Movie, which has a script of 7 different scenarios with policemen. The repetition of the 6 most important rules for them to learn are depicted throughout the 7 scripts. The main message is about safety and to prevent problems in the first place by not breaking the law. These rules include-

• Learn the law- so, we teach them the law
• Law enforcement officers are there to keep us safe
• Never touch the officers, their weapons, belts or their dogs
• Stay where you are - do not run away
• Disclose your disability
• Remain silent- ask for a lawyer

Recommended for those 12 and over, this video and curriculum are available for home use and for Be Safe Community Meetings, which have gone over quite well in communities across America. These can be an interactive screening, by inviting local police officers to interact with the audience, which can have a very positive affect on the community. Plus, the police also get practice and get to see who in the community may need help or special care. This video can help anyone and everyone, with other disabilities as well and is suitable for every kind of learner.

To learn more or to contact Emily Iland at emilyiland@gmail.com or 661-297-4033.

Listen to the full interview here: Keeping Youth With Disabilities Safe