Last month, Riverwoods Police Officers along with other area first responders participated in training exercises at the Center for Enriched Living to recognize and safely interact with people with developmental disabilities. CEL hosted three sessions to maximize the number of attendees.
CEL, located on Saunders Rd in Riverwoods, provides programs and services for people with developmental disabilities, their families, caregivers, and the community. This includes partnering with local fire and police departments to increase awareness of people with disabilities, evaluate a scene with an individual who shows signs of a developmental disability, and then determine the best course of action to take to handle the situation.
The training included an overview of different types and characteristics of developmental disabilities, suggestions on communication strategies, de-escalation techniques, guided tours of emergency vehicles, and partnered activities between first responders and CEL members.
Dozens of firefighters, police officers, social workers, and dispatchers attended the training sessions, representing the Riverwoods Police Department, the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District, the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District, and the Deerfield Police Department. Officers from the Riverwoods PD shared that they now carry “conversation cards” in police vehicles so they can better communicate with anyone who doesn’t verbalize their thoughts.
For more information, go to the Center for Enriched Living Site.
