Berrien RESA has teamed up with Michigan State Police to help troopers better respond to situations involving individuals with developmental disabilities. RESA Special Education Director Tina Lawson tells us the agency operates several buildings with students who have different issues, which led to the idea. RESA and the state police talked about giving troopers special tool kits to better interact with those with developmental disabilities.
“We created a sensory communicate kit, something that had different fidgets that could help the students while they’re trying to reconnect them or deal with whatever situation they’re facing at that time,” Lawson said.
Inside the kits are items like noise canceling headphones, kush balls, pop fidgets, fidget slugs, and emoji stickers. MSP Niles Post Commander Jeremy Carlisle says state police welcome the resource.
“To add these items, these tools to our toolbox, and to have them available to us when we get put in situations where somebody may have some limited communication abilities or a developmental disability, where we can use these tools to assist us in interacting with them, I think that’s a phenomenal thing,” Carlisle said.
Each patrol car out of the Michigan State Police Niles post now has one of the kits so troopers can better communicate with the disabled in all scenarios. Lawson says it’s possible the program could be rolled out to additional posts.
