'Clare Nowland’s Tasering is horrifying but it’s a symptom of a bigger problem.'

Image: Supplied.

In times of crisis, people with disability – which includes dementia – require specialised support, not law enforcement. Calling the cops not only places them at risk, it criminalises behaviour intrinsically linked to their disability and often beyond their control.

In my kids’ case, so-called “behaviours of concern” are a sign they aren’t coping. They may be confused, afraid, frustrated or in pain. Because of their disability, they are unable to tell us this in any other way but through their behaviour. I’ve learned to speak their behavioural language and my kids feel happy and safe as a result. But those that haven’t learned to read the signs place people who are already struggling at risk – and on a collision course with the legal system.

It’s a point not lost on the Disability Royal Commission (DRC). A report commissioned by the DRC found people with intellectual disability make up 15 percent of the prison population despite comprising less than three percent of the general one. One in four of all First Nations inmates have an intellectual disability. This over-representation is not because disabled people – like my kids or Ms Nowland - are inherently criminal masterminds. It’s because their behaviour is commonly misunderstood and frequently criminalised. 

This is why psychologists in this space are increasingly reframing “behaviours of concern” as “environments of concern”, recognising that people’s behaviour is typically a response to their situation or surroundings. Notably, the Disability Royal Commission uses the term “behaviours of protest” for similar reasons.

I can understand why those not familiar with disability may not be aware of this. What I can’t comprehend, however, is why “special ed” schools and units, disability service providers, and aged-care facilities haven’t grasped this fundamental point. It would – and should – underpin how they deliver their core services. If they don’t know this basic tenant, they need to learn it or leave. Failing to do so places children like mine – and grandmothers like Clare Nowland – at risk for things they can’t control.

Megan Maack, who runs the Childhood Dementia Initiative, has two children who have dementia and struggle with its behavioural and psychological symptoms.

Maack says that – to accommodate their needs – she has “built complex and comprehensive support scaffolding around them” which helps keep them settled and safe.

“But like all carefully laid plans,” she says, “I know almost certainly that one day this plan will fail. It's not a matter of if, but when. A series of events will occur that we did not foresee, could not prevent, and when it does, what will await my scared, confused, distressed child? 

“Will it be someone who understands he will not respond as his neurotypical peers would, that he doesn't understand their commands or the ramifications of behaviours that he is unable to control? Or will it be a police officer with a Taser who has been empowered only to respond with force and restraint?

Image: Supplied.

Madeleine Witham has an adult daughter with disability who, as a child, attended a “special school” until she was seven, when her family was encouraged to integrate her into a mainstream class. Within six months of doing so, Witham says, Ella was expelled for being “a danger to herself and others”. 

“She was no danger to anyone,” says Witham, “but she didn’t have the supports she needed to succeed in that environment. Unfortunately this came down to the extra money this would have involved and the correct training. It’s far easier to just remove the ‘problem’ from the school by citing ‘danger’. 

“When people are uneducated and untrained to deal with situations concerning difficult behaviours then the first reaction is an overreaction” Witham says. “This is based on fear and not on fact, which places the vulnerable person in danger and allows unnecessary abuse to occur which is masked as ‘self-defence’.”

Image: Supplied.

Six armed police officers racing toward my son’s classroom was, indisputably, an overreaction. As was an elderly woman in a walking frame being Tasered. 

As we call for greater awareness and training for police, we should also demand the same of those whose job it is to support frail or disabled people. Especially when failing to do so can have such tragic consequences. For my son, different school leadership and extra training is making positive change. But to end with Maack’s words, “let’s hope the tragedy that surrounds Clare Nowland can be a turning point for us all.”

This post was originally published on Hireup.

Briana Blackett is a journalist and advocate for her two children with disability. After more than 20 years in TV news, she now works for Hireup as part of its Communications and Advocacy team. 

Featured Image: Supplied.