1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing about the reversal of an FDA regulation that would have banned use of the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED) for use in behavior modification at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Massachusetts. The GED has rightfully been deemed a device of torture by the United Nations. This issue sits at the critical intersection of race and disability as Judge Rotenberg Center’s attendees are disproportionately BIPOC. I urge you to stand against the use of this device at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. Furthermore, I ask that you stand for amending the KASSA Bill and removing the use of ALL aversives ( unpleasant stimuli that induce changes in behavior via negative reinforcement or positive punishment) from the classroom setting. This includes but is not limited to seclusion and restraint ( that is life threatening or contradictory based on the student’s health or disability status), mechanical or chemical restraints, and aversive behavioral intervention. These techniques are used to perpetuate violence against the most vulnerable of students and individuals in schools and “therapeutic” settings. It’s time that we take a stand and finally do away with these ineffective, traumatizing, and inhumane practices. As a concerned citizen, can I count on your commitment to amending KASSA and banning the use of the Graduated Electronic Decelerator from the Judge Rotenberg Center and any other facility/ institution that seeks to use these methods?