The FDA Hearing and The Judge Rotenberg Center: What You Should Know

[CN: abuse, ableism, torture]

Photo: Canton Community TV

Imagine being electro-shocked for getting out of your seat without asking permission. Imagine that the reason you were being shocked was simply because you may become aggressive, and all of it was legal. Imagine wearing the electrodes on your skin 24-7, knowing you could be shocked at any moment. Imagine witnessing your peers be shocked as well. Imagine that all of this is ignored because the public barely, if at all, acknowledges your existence.

This isn’t fiction, nor is it in some far away place or just a shameful part of history. This is happening in America, in 2014. The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) uses “aversives” as part of their treatment program. Aversives can vary, but some of the aversives used at JRC include electric shock (which is not ECT), mechanical restraints, and food deprivation.  Aversives are used for behaviors the staff deem “inappropriate” or “disruptive,” ranging from blowing bubbles with saliva to not maintaining a neat appearance. In addition to electro shocks, JRC practices isolation and physical restraints as per multiple reports (including former employees and members of the New York State Education Department review team). This is a difficult read (major TW for severe abuse, death), but necessary if you want to truly grasp the horror that goes on at the Judge Rotenberg Center.

In 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) ruled that licensed facilities can no longer use “behavioral interventions” such as “electric shock, long-term treatment, or aversives that post risk for psychological harm” on new admissions. Essentially the treatment program JRC has long proclaimed as a success is now deemed unfit. The problem is, this ruling is only for new admissions. Any students previously admitted and receiving aversives as part of their program, however harmful, are still being shocked. This is troubling. Most people are unaware that there is no federal law banning the use of aversives, even shock devices, even on children, even in schools, even on people with disabilities. State laws vary and it can be illegal to use such aversives in some, but no federal law yet exists to protect our citizens against a human rights violation. There is a lot of work to be done here.

I Support Shanesha Taylor

Update 4/12/14: Please join the virtual petition asking Bill Montgomery to drop charges against Shanesha Taylor. URGENT, please sign before Tuesday!!!!

Desperation. That is where Shanesha Taylor undoubtedly found herself last week when she left her children alone in a car so she could attend a job interview. I’ve seen support for Shanesha in the days since her arrest, and that compassion has warmed my heart. I’ve also seen a lot of finger-wagging, many a “how could she,” and doubt that she had no other options. These responses have saddened me. It’s easy to look at someone else’s situation and play Monday morning quarterback. You can revise someone’s life and say you’d have done this job training or received this college degree or not had kids or given them up or made sure their father stuck around or found family or friends to help out or do any number of things you’re positive would exempt you from ever having to make the decision to leave your young kids in a car with the windows cracked.

Perhaps some of those who have the answers, who know exactly what steps Shanesha Taylor and others like her could have taken to be in a different place, maybe they do know better. It’s possible those people did make all the right moves and will never find themselves homeless. I applaud them. I also think, with the exception of those with trust funds, it’s careless to say it could never happen to you. Life can shake anyone down, and without a safety net, any of us could be Shanesha Taylor. Until you have been there, deciding between leaving your children in a parked car for an hour or not taking the interview that could help move them out of that car and into a home, take a seat.