Support can come from different people. Sometimes we get support from our family. Other times we get support from people who work in the community. One kind of support in the community is law enforcement officers and first responders. Law enforcement officers (officers) are people who work for the police. A first responder is a person who helps in an emergency such as a fire fighter or a medical helper in an ambulance.
You have the right to feel safe and included anywhere you go in the community. This means that officers and first responders should know how to understand and respect you. This is why we need your help. We need people with I/DD who want to teach officers and first responders to know about your needs so they can give you the support you need.
Become an ESA Trainer!
The goal of ESA is to make the interaction between people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and officers and first responders better.
We are looking for people with I/DD to teach police officers and first responders about how to keep people with disabilities safe, understood, and included in their community.
People with I/DD deserve to live the life they want with the support they need. This means you decide how to live, learn, work, and play and what support you need to do it.
You can get involved in several ways:
Training. People with I/DD work with ESA to help officers and first responders understand and respect people with I/DD. ESA trainers can get involved by training with an officer or another trainer, participating in role-plays and other activities, or recording a video that can be shared during the training.
Relationships. ESA works hard to include people with I/DD in all our work with officers and first responders. You are an expert in your needs and experiences. That makes you the best teacher for officers and first responders who want to understand people with I/DD. If you become a teacher, you would do things like: share your experiences, lead a discussion, plan an event or activity, or participate in role-playing with officers or first responders.
Leadership. ESA is always looking for people to serve on our Steering Committee, the group that guides the ESA activities. If you want to help us make decisions about the work we do or have ideas for what we can do better, we want to hear from you.
Outreach. ESA needs people across the state of Maryland to talk and write about what we do. This can include talking to others about the ESA to raise awareness, participating in community events and giving out ESA information, getting officers or other people with I/DD you know involved, or writing blogs, emails or social media posts.