Ending Restraint & Seclusion Abuse Once Again a Conference Priority

Look what’s happened in just a year. Last November, TASH facilitated a panel discussion during the annual TASH Conference of self-advocates and family members telling their personal stories and the lasting impact of restraint and seclusion abuse in schools. From that panel came Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Stories, the film by Dan Habib, which uses stories from the panel participants. The film served as a launching point in early 2013 for the Stop Hurting Kids campaign (https://stophurtingkids.com), a coalition effort to end restraint and seclusion abuse in schools, and has played a critical role in igniting a national dialogue about the pressing need to end these practices.

We’ve now come full circle. This year’s TASH Conference will screen this powerful film during a workshop that features the director and other advocates.  Notably, Peyton Goddard, one of the participants, will also keynote the conference’s opening general session. Peyton speaks beautifully about the importance of dignity and safety. (Learn more about Peyton here) Additionally, this year’s conference will include eight concurrent sessions dedicated to supporting and promoting positive behavior supports across a variety of environments (you can see these here).

If you haven’t already, go see Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Stories, and learn more about the Stop Hurting Kids campaign at https://stophurtingkids.com. Then consider joining us for the 2013 TASH Conference this December 11-14 in Chicago, Ill.