Autism & Law Enforcement Education Coalition

Because much of the ALEC training for First Responders has had to come to a stop, we have focused on virtual training and support of our law enforcment and emergency personnel partners.  We would like to focus this report on our biggest donor and partner of the ALEC program, Bailey's Team for Autism.  

Bailey's Team is a regional non-profit organization supporting organizations and individuals who fund research and or provide training, resources, services and aid to individuals living with autism spectrum disorders and their families.

For years, local foundation, Bailey's Team for Autism has supported the Autism Law Enforcement and Education Coalition with small grants to provide our training to First Responders.  In 2020, Bailey's Team awarded ALEC with a grant to specifically support training of thousands of First Responders in Rhode Island.  Recently, Bailey's Team awarded ALEC with another $7,000 grant for 2021.  This award was made despite the cancellation of many of the foundations' fundraising events during the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Bailey's Team is a strong partner of Lifeworks and is supporting many of our families directly with funding through an additional grant in response to the COVID crisis.  To learn more about Bailey's Team and to read about how this Team is having an impact globally, please see their website:

https://www.baileysteam.org/projects-funded.html  

Links:

• ALEC page on new website

On August 27th, the ALEC Program and Family Autism Center were presented with 200 Seatbelt Covers from Norfolk County Sheriff Jerry McDermott and his Chief of Staff Gregory Casey. Thank you for keeping our families safe! We will be distributing these to families who need them from our Family Autism Center (FAC) and Family Support programs.

In a recent survey conducted by FAC, 31 people registered for a seatbelt cover. Results from the survey indicated parent responses that a majority of their loved ones; could not unbuckle themselves; were non-verbal; may wander or bolt when out of a vehicle; and, most importantly (all 31 stated) that their children may not comply with or answer a First Responder.  This information supports the work of ALEC and the need for training of First Responders.  ALEC continues to work with partners in an effort to communicate with departments about individuals who may have a disability.  Seatbelt Covers were created with funding from The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

Here are a list of the Police Departments in Norfolk County that have seat belt covers at their stations:

Avon

Bellingham

Braintree

Dedham

Dover

Foxboro

Franklin

Holbrook

Medfield

Medway

Millis

Milton

Needham

Norfolk

Quincy

Stoughton

Walpole

Westwood

Weymouth

Wrentham

*Brookline, Norwood and Sharon have them, but their stations are not yet open to the public due to Covid precautions.

Bailey's Team for Autism Award:  ALEC would like to acknowledge support from Baiely's Team in 2020!  https://www.baileysteam.org/projects-funded.html.  Bailey's Team was founded by Sammi Robertson and has supported local projects with more than $1.2 million in grants for autism research, awareness, education and programming.   Bailey's Team for Autism supported the ALEC program with a grant in the amount of $10,000 to continue their work in New England, specifically focused on the partnership with the Providence, Rhode Island Police and Fire Departments.  

Links:

• http://www.baileysteam.org

Within the last several months, more than 850 First Responders trained in the Autism Law Enforcement Education Coalition program.  In addition to that number, more than 300 additional officers were trained through our growing ALEC train the trainer model.  As we wrapped up our "Arc Tank 2.0" funding award of $40,000; we also have built a budding partnership within Rhode Island. 

This collaboration provides autism awareness & education training, 911 registration and community outreach supported by ALEC partners - Bailey's Team for Autism, Rhode Island Autism Project, The Groden Center, Autism Society of RI and Safety Net. Bailey's Team for Autism is a local grantmaker & family fund led by Massachusetts residents Sammi and Doug Robertson.  Bailey's Team has supported the ALEC program with more than $63,000 over the last decade and really catapulted the program throughout New England, gaining national and international attention.

Another new ALEC partnership in 2020 is with local Norfolk County Sherriff Jerry McDermott's staff.  The Sherriff is a Westwood, Massachusetts resident that approached The Arc of South Norfolk's Family Autism Center with an idea to assist families and First Responders.  This partnership was featured in the Enterprise (see full Enterprise article here).  

Links:

• Patriot Ledger ALEC

ALEC:  Autism Law Enforcement Education Coalition, 2019 Update

 ALEC is a program that offers specialized trainings to first responders. The goal of the ALEC program is for first responders to hear directly from other first responders who have personal and professional experience with individuals with autism and to provide additional tools to use in assessing the risk of a situation. Led by former Fire Captain Bill Cannata, the program increases communication between parents within the community and first responders, increasing their ability to interact effectively with individuals with autism. At Arc Tank 2.0, Capt. Cannata and Sgt. Ryan Roettger provided a brief presentation on the need for increased autism awareness and education among first responders.  Bill and Ryan were a “fan favorite” for their moving presentation and were awarded a grant from the Northeast Arc to provide additional training throughout the country.

All Certified ALEC Trainers are professionals in the law enforcement/emergency response fields and have a family member diagnosed with autism.  Autism is estimated to occur in one out of every 59 births, as this population continues to grow, programs like ALEC must grow to ensure safety and reduce the risks of injury for individuals with autism.  We are grateful to The Arc Tank for recognizing the impact of the ALEC program and supporting its growth.  Within the last ten months, ALEC has provided training to the following organizations and departments:

The Arc of Northwest Mississippi:  The Train the Trainer model was conducted with the Arc of Northwest Mississippi in May. A first responder training session was held with over 60 first responders in attendance.  The Arc of Northwest Mississippi has launched the ALEC program this year by training two area law enforcement departments.

The University of Delaware:  Several members of the Delaware police, fire, and EMS members attended the workshop. University of Delaware will launch the ALEC program by December.

Families on the Spectrum, Paducah, KY:  In September over 100 first responders attended.

The Alabama Fire College:  A program update for the Alabama Fire College resulted in them relaunching the ALEC program in October.

The Connecticut State Police Recruits:  ALEC conducted the first training for the Connecticut State Police Recruit Training. With Arc funding, ALEC was able to offer this training to CSP and will continue with future classes at the Connecticut State Police Academy.

South Burlington Vermont Area Police Officers:  The ALEC Law Enforcement training program was delivered in South Burlington, Vermont in October. Thirty-six first responders attended two training sessions. This was the first law enforcement training for ALEC in Vermont for law enforcement.

Links:

• Arc Tank 3.0 Update on Winning Proposals

The Arc of South Norfolk FAC and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office collaborated to form the ALEC program. ALEC has become a nationally recognized training program for professionals about best practices in managing crisis situation involving someone with autism. The ALEC program provides trainings for fire, police, EMS, hospital and courtroom personnel, parents and educators. ALEC trainers complete a comprehensive training on the ALEC curriculum. A unique component to our program is that all trainers are required to be First Responders who have a family member with ASD. The mission of ALEC is “to foster a deeper understanding of ASD amongst public safety and law enforcement personnel”.

With recent awards from the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and The Changing Lives Fund from the Northeast Arc (ArcTank Award in 2019), ALEC has been able to provide additional training in New England (Massachusetts and Rhode Island).  Please see the latest on our with Fire Fighters in Rhode Island:

http://www.warwickonline.com/stories/sa-autism,143438#.XSe0ZNaFrVk.email

Funding from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) has allowed us to train a total of 24,486 First Responders throughout Massachusetts.  

ALEC has trained 1,131 EMS providers from the following towns and EMS agencies/educational programs with 49 trainings: Adams, Boston, Chicopee, County Ambulance, Eascare, Emergency Nurses Association, Fallon Ambulance, Greater Boston EMS Association, Highland Ambulance, Hilltown, Hyannis, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, MASS National Guard, Metro West Framingham, Mattapoisett, Metro West Natick, Mount Wachusett, Natick, Nashoba Regional, Pittsfield, South County Ambulance, South Deerfield EMS, South Shore EMS, Springfield, UMASS Medical Life Flight, Ware, Webster EMS, Wood Ambulance, Worcester, Anna Maria College, Holyoke Community College, Lowell University , Quinsigamond Community College, Westfield State University, Berkshire, Lifeline Ambulance, South Shore Hospital EMS.

ALEC has hosted combination trainings for multiple First Response agencies. These 19 trainings were for 704 First Responders in: Barnstable County (Fire, Police and EMS), Danvers Fire and EMS, East Bridgewater Fire and EMS, Hyannis Regional training for Fire and EMS, Leominster Fire and EMS, Mercy Hospital (Fire, EMS, Hospital Staff), Needham (Fire, EMS, SWAT Team), Berkshire County Regional Training (Fire, EMS, Police), Clinton Hospital Regional Training (Hospital Personnel, Fire, EMS, Police), Cooley-Dickerson Hospital (Hospital Staff), St. Vincent’s Hospital (Hospital Staff including Emergency Room personnel), Newton Wellesley Hospital (Hospital Staff), Taunton Morton Hospital (Hospital Staff), Leominster OEM (Emergency Managers), The Mid State Fire Mutual Aide (Fire Chiefs Association), Brookline and Taunton Crisis Intervention Teams, Mass General Hospital (Hospital Staff and Security), and Milford Hospital (Hospital Staff and Security). Along with Police, Fire, EMS, Hospital and other Emergency Medical Personnel, ALEC has hosted 15trainings for families, training 160 caregivers on what to do during a crisis situation in the following cities and towns: Attleboro, Auburn, Chelmsford, Dennis, Fitchburg, Franklin, Greenfield, Hadley, Leicester, Milford, Randolph, Sharon, Swampscott, Westwood, and Yarmouth. ALEC has hosted 2 trainings to train 26 Park Rangers in Boylston and Boston at The Department of Conservation and Recreation; 3 trainings to train 294 Probation Officers at the MA Probation Department in Clinton; 3 trainings to train 83 Criminal Justice students at Tri County Regional High School and Holyoke Community College; 2 trainings for ADDP in Framingham to train 26 staff members, and 2 trainings to train 76 DPPC staff at the Shrewsbury DDS Regional Office.