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Good Things Are Still Happening In The World

Kaitlin Edwardson | April 2, 2020

Topics: air quality, autism, canals, coronavirus, covid 19, elephants, Madagascar, penguins, reforestation, Shedd Aquarium, Vans Shoes, Venice

Even though we’re all trapped in our houses for who knows how long, there are still positive stories taking place around the world. Here are some that will make you smile.

Between the isolation and separation from those we care about and the obvious fears about the effects of coronavirus, it can be hard to stay positive. Thankfully, there are still some good things happening in the world in this time of coronavirus; here are a few good ones to boost your mood and restore your faith in the world, even just for a little bit.

Photo via Reddit

Elephants Are Living It Up

While we are all staying inside and self-quarantining, the elephants in the Yunnan province in China are having a ball. On March 19, a Reddit post surfaced about a group of elephants that broke into a village looking for food, and instead ended up drinking corn wine, getting drunk, and falling asleep in a nearby tea field. After the post went viral on Twitter, a conservationist chimed in and added that elephants do like alcohol and seek it out, often marking spots where they were successful so they can return to them. Animals: they’re just like us!

Note: the photos shared with this story are not photos of the actual elephants involved in this incident, and some of the details of the story are disputed. But this is apparently normal elephant behavior, so we’re still going to enjoy it.

Photo via Twitter

Clear Water In Venice

It’s hard to imagine how this pandemic can have any positive outcomes at all, but even in Italy, one of the countries hit the hardest by COVID-19, good things can happen. For example: in Venice this month, the canals are clear! Even though this is not a result of the water quality (it’s happened because less boat traffic has allowed sediment to settle at the bottom), it sure is prettier to look at. However, the air quality in Venice is better, as is the air quality in Los Angeles, as a result of lower carbon emissions and pollution. While you’re staying inside and looking for things to do, just think about how you’re helping both flatten the COVID-19 curve and slow down global warming. Maybe that’ll make you feel a little better.

Generosity Softens The Blow of Mandatory Closures

Local businesses are struggling as the spread of coronavirus makes shutdowns a necessity. But for one restaurant in Ohio, a generous customer made things quite a bit easier to bear. On the final night of operations, a customer left a $2,500 tip with a note that asked for the money to be split evenly among the staff members. In addition to warming your heart, this story should also serve as a reminder to try and support local businesses in any way possible: buying gift cards or merchandise, ordering take-out or even tipping a little bit extra. It doesn’t have to be $2,500, but every dollar makes a difference.

Zoo Animals Are Exploring Their Surroundings

Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is one of many aquariums and zoos around the country that are trying to fill the quarantine boredom with virtual tours and activities. Currently, the aquarium is closed, and people are not allowed to roam around. However, the penguins have been let out of their exhibit to explore a little bit and waddle around. Shedd’s Twitter account recently shared videos of the penguins as they met the fish, beluga whales and sea otters. Their Twitter account continues to be updated with the animals adventures almost daily, and also includes educational information and fun facts about other animals at the aquarium. That should keep you entertained for a while.

Vans Releases Shoe Collection Designed For Kids With Autism

Vans have released a new line of shoes designed specifically for kids with sensory issues. The collection includes eight pairs of shoes that focus on relaxing the senses through sound, touch, and appearance. These shoes are either slip-on or can mold to the foot with a hook-and-loop closure, helping kids with autism who have trouble tying shoelaces. The colors were chosen based on their soothing appearance. In a press release, Vans said they “worked with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards to create designs utilizing Vans ComfyCush technology for all-day comfort and ease of wear for adults, kids and toddlers.” In addition, the company pledged to donate a minimum of $100,000 in shoe sale proceeds to The A.skate Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to teaching children with autism how to skateboard.

Madagascar, the World’s Most Bio-Diverse Island, Will Plant 60 Million Trees This Year

The East African island nation of Madagascar recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of its independence, and to celebrate, the nation held a tree-planting ceremony, planting over a million seedlings in the first few hours. In the end, the country is preparing to plant 60 million trees — a million trees for each year of its 60-year history. A tremendously bio-diverse island, Madagascar has unfortunately suffered massive deforestation over the past century, losing 40 percent of its forests in the past 80 years. Last year, President Andry Rajoelina’s campaign platform promised to “Make Madagascar Green Again,” which is the culmination of “months of hard work by many organizations amassing around 100 million seeds to place into cultivated nursery beds—with schools, NGOs, government ministries, and even the army lending a helping hand,” according to the Good News Network.

Top photo via Twitter

Brewing Java To Support the Special Needs Community

Madison Hetzler | March 2, 2020

Topics: Ashley Grant, autism, Charles Grant, Chester, Chester Village, coffee, Good Neighbor, Grant Coffee Company, Legacy Roasting Company, restaurants in richmond va, restaurants richmond va, richmond va, RVA

For Charles and Ashley Grant of Grant Coffee Company, their recently-opened coffee shop offers not just an opportunity to bring great coffee to Chester but also to help people with developmental disabilities.

Grant Coffee Company owners Charles and Ashley Grant are brewing up mugs of coffee and opportunities for Chester’s special needs community. A crowd eager to support both product and mission poured in for the shop’s grand opening last month. 

With a combined professional background including military service, law enforcement, and programing for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD), the Grants wanted to pool their work experience and pursue a new venture. In surveying the needs of their community, they recognized a deficiency in opportunities for those with special needs. 

People within the special needs community — like their own daughter, who has autism — often struggle to find workspaces that utilize all of their capabilities. The Grants hope to curb that trend by teaching job skills in their shop and by providing a safe environment for all to come and enjoy the coffee. 

Photo by Sharon Hippensteel Photography

“We hope that the coffee shop becomes an inclusive space for the community,” said Ashley. “We want the space to be a naturally supportive environment for those who may struggle to adapt to traditional settings that most of us buzz through daily, and a place for them and their families to know that they are welcome without judgement.” 

Ashley, an I/DD program development manager for Good Neighbor, knows what it takes to provide a supported environment that helps overcome stressful barriers in a social or workplace setting. She has thoughtfully guided design decisions to ensure a space that is not overstimulating, but is comfortable and inviting. Wooden toys and sensory items will be placed around the shop to engage and calm visitors. 

During normal operating hours, the coffee shop will be open for everyone to come and enjoy a cup of Joe. When closed, the coffee shop will become a training center for individuals to come and partner with employment support providers and learn new skills, like making coffee, greeting customers, or bussing tables. Eventually, the Grants hope to host live sessions where the community is welcome to come and interact with students practicing job skills. 

“We hope we can use this setting for our daughter to be able to teach others how to meet her in her world, and see her strengths and talents on her terms,” said Ashley. 

Photo by Sharon Hippensteel Photography

The Grants say that their daughter is a primary motivation in cultivating this space. They know from experience what it’s like to love and interact with someone who takes in the world differently. 

“In both my personal and professional life, it is astounding the number of times I hear, ‘I’m sorry, that must be so difficult for you,’” said Ashley. “No, it’s difficult for her to teach us to know her in a language no one speaks, and in ways very few can understand.”

Charles and Ashley hope that the space will be a teaching ground not just for those with disabilities, but for others learning to engage the special needs community. 

“We hope to teach other kids to say, ‘Hey, want to play?’ We hope to teach parents to say, ‘Go ask them. They just do things differently,’” said Ashley. 

After sampling multiple coffee roasters, the Grants, both coffee lovers, settled on Legacy Roasting out of Hopewell. Their blend of choice produces a balanced coffee that has hints of chocolate, malt, and citrus. 

Photo by Sharon Hippensteel Photography

In addition to the java, the Grants offer a breakfast and light lunch menu. They’ve partnered with local bakers for fresh pastries and breads. They also plan to spotlight local artisans and offer products like unique coffee sleeves, handmade wooden trays, and Goochland honey. 

Grant Coffee Company is located at 11884 Chester Village Dr in Chester VA. It is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Top Photo by Sharon Hippensteel Photography

Excessive Force Reported Against Richmond Police Department After Detaining Autistic Teen

Landon Shroder | May 9, 2018

Topics: autism, Chesterfield Police Department, Chief Durham, Excessive Force, Police Interactions, Richmond police department

What should have been a birthday celebration with family last Sunday soon turned into a harrowing encounter between a Chesterfield family and the Richmond Police Department (RPD) and has raised questions about how police apply force against people with special needs. On the evening of May 6, as the RPD was responding to reports of a hit-and-run, they came into contact with McKhyl Dickerson and his uncle, Kerry Lewis, in the parking lot of the Belmont Hills Apartment Complex on Lamplighter Road in Chesterfield. McKhyl, a 14-year-old boy – who is diagnosed with autism and an auditory processing disorder – a condition that affects listening and comprehension, was enjoying a race with his uncle to his grandmother’s apartment when they saw the police lights in the parking lot of her complex.

McKhyl Dickerson

According to both Nichele Lewis, the mother of McKhyl and Edith Lewis, the teen’s grandmother, the encounter with the police took place after the officers followed a subject suspected of a hit-and-run to the general area where McKhyl and Kerry were playing. Stopping Kerry first, the police eventually questioned and detained him, but not before telling McKhyl to head back to his grandmother’s house. “He [Kerry] had told my grandson to go in the house,” said Edith. “This is something we have told him [McKhyl] to do. If you see a strong police presence, come in the house.”

Shortly after, a female officer asked the teen to stop which he failed to do. Edith claimed that her grandson had simply asked the officer to follow him to her house. While she did not see this portion of the incident she stated, “this is when they apparently slammed him against the wall and on to the ground.”  Hearing the commotion she went outside and found that the police had him handcuffed with his arms pulled about halfway behind his back with the officer’s knee in his leg. At this point, she asked the detaining officer to let her come over and calm her grandson, identifying him as a teen with special needs.

“I asked her to let me come over to him,” said Edith, “and she told me ‘no, you stay back’. And I said, I need to be over there with my grandson he is very upset, he has mental issues and learning disabilities and autism and I need to calm him down.”

Edith went on to describe a situation in which her autistic grandson was hysterical, failing to comprehend what was happening. This was something also corroborated by the teen’s mother Nichele. “The police officers were thrashing my son,” she commented, going on to say that because of the incident the teen had to be admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico. While the hospital did not answer an email request for information, Nichele said, “He was in pain…he has contusions, abrasions, he is on crutches, and has a brace around his leg and ankle, his body hurts.” When asked if this was all due to the way he was treated by the officers, Nichele gave a simple, ‘yes’, in response.

McKhyl Dickerson in the Hospital Post Incident

RVA Mag reached out to the RPD for comment on the incident. Gene Lepley, a spokesman for the RPD, confirmed they are reviewing this incident, but could not corroborate specific details due to the incident being investigated as a “personnel issue”, but at least four points of contact, including Chief Durham and the Captain of Internal Affairs have been in contact with the family.

Encounters between people with special needs and police can be perilous. A report released by Virginia’s Treatment Advocacy Center going back to 2015 indicated that people with special needs are “16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter.” The report also determined that a weakening of the mental health system has placed an undue burden on law enforcement officers who are not necessarily trained to respond to people with special needs. Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization, has compiled a list of information and behaviors for law enforcement officers on how to interact with people with autism.

“Not responding to ‘stop’ or other commands” and becoming “overwhelmed by police presence” are among the list of potential behaviors officers might encounter according to the organization. All of these things seemed to happen on May 6 in the encounter with McKhyl. “They would not allow my mother to comfort him,” said Nichele. “He was going through a lot of duress because he did not know what was going on.”

As a way to mitigate these encounters, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recommends that law enforcement officers learn crisis intervention training (CIT), a community policing model that helps police improve their response to deal with people with special needs.

Rhonda Thissen, the Executive Director of NAMI in Virginia, said this kind of case is surprising since both Richmond and Chesterfield have crisis intervention trained officers. “The Commonwealth of Virginia has been supporting and promoting crisis intervention team training across the state for almost 10 years now,” said Thissen. When asked if the two officers involved in this incident had CIT training, Lepley said he could not comment on that.

Thissen, however, views this training as a best practice for officers in the field, “The CIT model promotes the safety of the public and law enforcement by providing law enforcement officers with training on how to de-escalate and interact with folks who are experiencing a mental health crisis.” This was something McKhyl’s mother, Nichele was quick to echo, “Justice needs to be served. There needs to be more public awareness about people with special needs and how people in authority are handling them.” She finished by saying that classroom training is not enough. Instead, she offered a novel solution for law enforcement officers, “they need to volunteer with people who have special needs to see how people really act, so they can see the signs.”

David Streever contributed to this report.

Brandcenter grads create device to help those who cannot speak communicate with the push of a button

Amy David | June 25, 2015

Topics: autism, Dustin's Words, Particle, the noun project, VCU brandcenter, VCU students

Four VCU Brandcenter graduates have worked together to invent a device to help those with autism and other disabilities communicate their needs with the push of a button.

[Read more…] about Brandcenter grads create device to help those who cannot speak communicate with the push of a button

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