News Release

February 28, 2007

Contact: Carolyn Pennington, 860-679-4864
e-mail: cpennington@uchc.edu

The Use of Restraints and Seclusion in Schools

Legislative Forum Scheduled for March 8

FARMINGTON, CONN. – A special legislative forum to discuss the use of restraints and seclusion in schools for children with developmental disabilities will be held on Thursday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Old Judiciary Room of the State Capitol in Hartford.

The forum will discuss the lack of rules concerning this issue, what kinds of safeguards are needed, and what parents, advocates and policy makers can do. The featured speaker will be Pat Amos, Pennsylvania Council on Developmental Disabilities and Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive Interventions and Seclusion. The forum will be moderated by Angela Spino, Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities.

The forum is sponsored by the Developmental Disabilities Network, a partnership of the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, and the University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service at the UConn Health Center.

The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn Medical Group and University Dentists. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at www.uchc.edu.

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