PORT ANGELES — About five years ago, Nicholas Barrett was arrested.
During the arrest, a stun gun was used, and Barrett spent the night in jail.
Barrett has Down Syndrome and, if it had existed, Project SAFER could have saved him the trouble.
Project SAFER (Special Assistance For Emergency Response) began as the result of Barrett’s arrest, however.
“This is a program that we have created,” said Kelley Lawrence, the Clallam County coordinator for developmental disabilities with Health and Human Services. “After it was all said and done, his mom felt like they should use this experience for learning and growth and to transform his experience into something meaningful for our community.”
Project SAFER is a form individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities can fill out which provides 911 and first responders with information about triggers, communication preferences and whatever other information the individual, or their family members, provide.
Additionally, the project has an event on the first day of the Clallam County Fair — Aug. 14 this year — during which vendors who provide services for developmental disabilities gather to provide information and training.
“We offer all of the resources in the county,” Lawrence said. “We invite anybody who experiences developmental disabilities and their families to the fair for free. We pay for their entrance into the fair.
“It’s like a resource fair that day. We’ll have police cars, fire trucks and, in past years a helicopter came and was there. We’re always creating new experiences. The first year, we had more than 300 people attend, and last year, we had more than 600 attend. We’re hoping to have close to 1,000 this year.”
To create Project SAFER, Health and Human Services Director Kevin LoPiccolo, Lawrence and the Health and Human Services staff formed an advisory board which reached out to law enforcement for partnerships, LoPiccolo said.
“What occurred through all of those processes was developing a form that a parent or individual can fill out which will be given to the sheriff’s department and 911,” he said. “The form identifies what the triggers are — sound, lights, being touched. The form will let them know what they need to do when interacting with people with disabilties.”
Lawrence described the work as a passion project.
“You just think, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so meaningful, it’s a life-changer,’” she said. “Our law enforcement has to protect themselves, and they follow their protocol, which we understand, so we all have responsbility.”
For more information, or to fill out the form, go to www.clallamcountywa.gov/1882/Project-SAFER. Individuals can register for the Project SAFER event as well.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
