The Beyond Crayons and Computers Grant through The Community Foundation provided funding for Emergency Communication Boards for city and county emergency personnel.
Glenda Yonke, Speech/Language Pathologist, and Trina Pawlicki, Special Education Instructor, both employed by MAPS, worked with the Merrill Police Department, Merrill Fire Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, and the surrounding area Volunteer Fire Departments. They were able to provide training on how to use the communication boards to assist with communication when encountering an autistic individual with nonverbal or limited verbal skills during an emergency situation.
The Emergency Communication Boards include picture cues, a keyboard, and yes/no buttons that would allow a limited verbal individual to communicate with emergency personnel during a crisis situation.
If you have an autistic or disabled person living in your home and would like emergency personnel to be aware before they arrive for a crisis situation, contact Glenda Yonke at [email protected] for information on how to provide that information to emergency dispatch.