You guys need crisis intervention training and training in dual diagnosis as well as developmental disabilities. Sometimes you make matters worse because you have no understanding or education around developmental disabilities. You tried to charge me a government client through Community Living BC with assault when I got startled hit out not knowing what was happening; I was scared.
Now my police record says investigated for assault – no charge; that means the government also knows but the Crown Council did not charge me with that. My record will be clear in 5 more years as I was 23 when this happened. The next time I had to go into the Mental Health ward the nurses put a red dot on my door meaning I am violent to warn others even though I am not that way at all! CLBC and everyone I know would tell you I am not violent because they know me.
We have a fight and flight response in our make up as Human Beings. I am now scared of being put back in a Mental Health ward if nothing changes with the laws and training around developmental disabilities. I am fed up with the nurses treating us as criminals when it was a mistake. Sometimes it can be on purpose and sometimes it can be a mistake. I am worried that this will get out of hand if nothing changes right away. The nurses and police need to be held accountable by the government for abusing their power. I think you need to put yourselves in other people’s shoes and think was this a mistake or on purpose. Training in developmental disabilities as well as training in crisis intervention will help you be accountable to our government and the Crown Council of BC and also will help in making you understand a lot more about what we go through on a daily basis, as mental health issues can occur more in people with developmental disabilities.
The un-founded charge will stay on my record for a total of 8 years by law. That makes other people with developmental disabilities worried that this can happen to them too. I am a self-advocate running a disability awareness and success stories newsletter, if I was violent I couldn’t do this either. Let us be productive members of society and don’t be so quick to charge next time. Other people are in the same boat as me and they want change badly!
I am not usually violent unless I get startled and scared. People with developmental disabilities can also happen to have behavioral difficulties which are beyond their control; so there are specialists in the disability field that specialize in behavior to help us so we can have better control and to make us better, that is contracted by CLBC and the government. I am really worried if I had to go back to the Mental Health ward again because this could happen again, I was half asleep when this happened and really startled.
People with developmental disabilities need to feel your support and compassion and care towards them so this does not happen again.
Thank you by Krystian Shaw
