Leigh Anne McKingsley

And people, I think, don't always feel comfortable talking about the reality of their lives, what they have faced or what they are facing. And sometimes even because they're in the system right now, they can't talk about it. So the nature of what we're trying to raise awareness about makes it that much more difficult to bring these stories out.

And often it's people that have already had a certain number of years of healing or families that now can talk about it. I think that's one of the reasons why it makes it challenging.

And often it's people that have already had a certain number of years of healing or families that now can talk about it. I think that's one of the reasons why it makes it challenging.

And often it's people that have already had a certain number of years of healing or families that now can talk about it. I think that's one of the reasons why it makes it challenging.

Absolutely. That's called criminalizing people with disabilities, whether it's a mental health disability or it's an intellectual developmental disability like autism. That has been a huge issue in our country because there is simply nowhere else for people to go. And the default has been our criminal justice system. And because people may show different behaviors and,

Absolutely. That's called criminalizing people with disabilities, whether it's a mental health disability or it's an intellectual developmental disability like autism. That has been a huge issue in our country because there is simply nowhere else for people to go. And the default has been our criminal justice system. And because people may show different behaviors and,

Absolutely. That's called criminalizing people with disabilities, whether it's a mental health disability or it's an intellectual developmental disability like autism. That has been a huge issue in our country because there is simply nowhere else for people to go. And the default has been our criminal justice system. And because people may show different behaviors and,

that can be seen from law enforcement as you're not listening or not respecting It can be behaviors that are concerning to people who don't understand disability. And I often like to explain it this way because we often talk about it as crisis in our country, looking at when someone's in crisis and what do we do and crisis intervention.

that can be seen from law enforcement as you're not listening or not respecting It can be behaviors that are concerning to people who don't understand disability. And I often like to explain it this way because we often talk about it as crisis in our country, looking at when someone's in crisis and what do we do and crisis intervention.

that can be seen from law enforcement as you're not listening or not respecting It can be behaviors that are concerning to people who don't understand disability. And I often like to explain it this way because we often talk about it as crisis in our country, looking at when someone's in crisis and what do we do and crisis intervention.

And so I often explain it when we do trainings that the crisis is in the eye of the beholder. Because what looks like a crisis to a law enforcement officer may be an everyday thing for someone with autism. And for example, someone who's stimming. That could come off as, oh, that's concerning behavior, but that's actually how they're able to calm themselves down.

And so I often explain it when we do trainings that the crisis is in the eye of the beholder. Because what looks like a crisis to a law enforcement officer may be an everyday thing for someone with autism. And for example, someone who's stimming. That could come off as, oh, that's concerning behavior, but that's actually how they're able to calm themselves down.

And so I often explain it when we do trainings that the crisis is in the eye of the beholder. Because what looks like a crisis to a law enforcement officer may be an everyday thing for someone with autism. And for example, someone who's stimming. That could come off as, oh, that's concerning behavior, but that's actually how they're able to calm themselves down.

So it's these misunderstandings, miscommunications going on. that it's really on us as a society to understand better so that we can be more inclusive.

So it's these misunderstandings, miscommunications going on. that it's really on us as a society to understand better so that we can be more inclusive.

So it's these misunderstandings, miscommunications going on. that it's really on us as a society to understand better so that we can be more inclusive.

But that means we have to be educating and being willing to hear each other out when it comes to building more inclusive systems, including within our criminal justice system, to really understand disabilities, be able to provide those accommodations and long-term supports so that people have other options than just calling 911, for example. That was the whole purpose of 988.

But that means we have to be educating and being willing to hear each other out when it comes to building more inclusive systems, including within our criminal justice system, to really understand disabilities, be able to provide those accommodations and long-term supports so that people have other options than just calling 911, for example. That was the whole purpose of 988.

But that means we have to be educating and being willing to hear each other out when it comes to building more inclusive systems, including within our criminal justice system, to really understand disabilities, be able to provide those accommodations and long-term supports so that people have other options than just calling 911, for example. That was the whole purpose of 988.

And I don't know if I mentioned that when it comes to mental health, people with intellectual developmental disabilities are more likely to have a mental health disability, somewhere between 30 to 40% more likely. So there's this organization called the National Association of Dual Diagnosis, or NAD, where that is their whole focus. is that specific population.