Wisconsin Autism Empowerment

By Sandy Krause October 31, 2024

I attended a meeting for parents of ND ‘kids’ a few weeks ago through the Islands of Brilliance Brilliant Mornings group. The topic was keeping our ND family safe while out in the world when the unexpected happens. Moreover, as an ‘older’ adult, I can tell you that the craziest, most random stuff will happen! The presenters were a police resource officer, a defense attorney, and a Milwaukee County Emergency Preparedness Department outreach representative.

They offered some very helpful tips. But what struck me and many others present was the if/then circumstantial best practices. So many factors were not a yes/no but a maybe recommendation. Those don’t work well for those of us who need defined black-and-white, always-or-never solutions.

An example. The law says you have the right to remain silent when questioned by a police officer. The officer and defense attorney agreed that silence is a best practice if being questioned as a suspect to protect yourself. Our ND people have a much higher rate of false convictions, often based on coerced statements. But the grey… if you are being questioned as a witness to an active crime, it could save yourself and others. In that case, the police don’t have time to wait for an attorney to OK speaking to stop further harm.

Another hard-to-predict factor is the ethics of the police officer you are dealing with. When asked if all in his department honor the right to remain silent, the officer admitted that he did, but not all do. So the law says you have the right not to speak. But some officers will pressure for an immediate statement. Even from an adult with a legal guardian, statements made under duress can still cause legal issues. This is a law vs reality issue in so much of our society.

Suggestions for public safety included putting a sticker on your ID saying you are ND and may become unable to speak under stress. Which happens to ‘normies’ too… Listing a guardian or person who can come to your aid in a difficult situation on your ID. In some states, there is a program called the ‘blue envelope’ where ND people have a blue envelope indicating they are ND with the important information inside. It is a trained cue for police and emergency responders in these states. Wisconsin does not currently have this program.

We discussed the issue of anyone who reaches for something during a police encounter can suffer a violent reaction. How does an ND person, or anyone, reach for this information safely? The answers given all involved speaking clearly and calmly to the officer, moving slowly, and acting calmly. All these things are unlikely if an ND person is stressed. It is a problem that needs an answer.

The defense attorney spoke of clearing up the damage done in cases where an ND person made self-incriminating statements. Often, just having the ND diagnosis made it easier to clear up the mess made. However, she did not address who paid her fees. Attorney fees are not cheap! Nor the issue of the anxiety this whole situation causes and the life-altering effects of the trauma.

Emergency preparedness was, to a great extent, gathering resources prior to the emergency, just in case. I found myself thinking of the movie Leave the World Behind, about the USA self-destructing from the inside as a family vacations on Long Island. A character in the movie had built an entire stocked top-of-the-line bunker in their island home’s basement. However, they were not there when things started happening, so it did not help them.

So, we gather resources, just in case. We teach our loved ones what to do in case of fire, tornado, break-in, civil unrest, power outage, etc. But where will they be if something happens? Home? Or away? What then? I remember a winter storm so bad that the city buses stopped running. People were trapped all over the city.

These are the nightmares of all parents, ND ‘kids’ or normies. We try to prepare for an independent, healthy, happy, safe future. But so many outside factors can strike. This is where we hope all in our communities will gather to support each other.