Disability Rights North Carolina advocates at the local, state and federal levels for sound policies and legislation that protect and expand the rights of persons with disabilities.

• August 26, 2010: The Commission for MH/DD/SAS meets.
• September 8, 2010: The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services meets, 643 LOB.
• October 13, 2010: The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services meets, 643 LOB.
• November 9, 2010: The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services meets, 643 LOB.

DRNC supports pending federal legislation that would eliminate
dangerous seclusion and restraint practices. H.R. 4247/S. 2860, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act, would mandate stricter guidelines than currently exist in North Carolina and ban certain dangerous practices, like prone restraint. Importantly, the bill requires the use of deescalation techniques and/or the implementation of a student's Behavior Intervention Plan prior to the use of physical restraint or seclusion. These important restrictions and reporting guidelines do not exist under our current North Carolina law.DRNC has produced a report, Seclusion and Restraint: A Dangerous Education, detailing some of the shocking uses of restraint in North Carolina.

For more information on state and federal policies affecting people with disabilities, please follow us on our policy blog. Have questions? Contact Annaliese Dolph at annaliese.dolph@disabilityrightsnc.org or 919-856-2195.