APRIL 21 • 2022 | 35
O
n a daily basis, Stephanie
Zoltowski is the special needs
director at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield, helping those
with autism and other developmental and
learning disabilities. That passion, though,
doesn’t end with that role.
Zoltowski has put her background in
those areas to use for the past two years,
starting a business that helps train first
responders (police, fire departments,
emergency medical services personnel and
dispatchers) with strategies for situations
in which they encounter the special needs
population.
In just the past year with her busi-
ness, Spectrum Training Solutions LLC,
Zoltowski has trained about 20 depart-
ments and 1,200 personnel in Michigan.
Zoltowski has worked with the special
needs population for almost 20 years and is
also a psychologist and former member of
the military police.
It was during her time as a military
police officer that she learned firsthand
how vulnerable the special needs popula-
tion is and how important it is for them to
get comfortable with first responders and
vice versa.
“Both of these populations are really
important to me, and I realized there’s
such a disconnect between them and
there wasn’t really a bridge between them,
”
Zoltowski said. “So I thought it was a good
opportunity to take my background and
experience and education and connect the
two.
”
The first department Zoltowski worked
with was the West Bloomfield Police
Department. After that session was well
received, her services spread via word
of mouth to other departments across
Michigan. Over the last six months or so,
Zoltowski has been invited
to speak at some conferences
about her work.
Zoltowski’s training sessions
with the departments typically
last four hours.
“One of the things we talk
about are myths vs. facts when
it comes to special needs,
” she
said. “We go over how to com-
municate with them effectively, some of
the red flags and behaviors to look for, and
some techniques when it comes to working
with the non-verbal population.
”
Of the departments Zoltowski has been
working with, a lot of them are starting to
incorporate sensory bags equipped with
tools to help first responder personnel
when they respond to someone with special
needs. The bags contain items designed to
help calm the individuals by providing a
sense of comfort.
“Departments are having these in their
patrol cars, and officers are starting to carry
more tools and activities beneficial for this
population because they learn differently
and process information differently than
neurotypical people do,
” Zoltowksi said.
“By having these, they’re able to address the
needs and challenges of the special needs
population and maximize the effectiveness
of that interaction with them.
”
Zoltwoski is seeing a cultural shift in how
police officers are approaching situations
with somebody that has special
needs, a change close to her
heart being so close to both
populations.
“
Autism is the fastest growing
developmental disability in the
United States. It’s diagnosed in
one in 44 kids now. So this pop-
ulation is expanding in our soci-
ety, and it’s important officers
get this training so they’re fully prepared
and know what to expect and look for
when they respond to a call from someone
who has special needs,
” she said.
Zoltowski feels good being able to train
the first responders, especially with many
reaching out afterwards informing her of
situations where the training was helpful to
them.
“Knowing they feel safer and more con-
fident responding to calls is really import-
ant to me,
” Zoltowski said. “
And it’s nice
to see the special needs population being
approached in the respectful way they
deserve.
”
JCC staffer trains first responders to better serve special needs population.
Helping to Serve and Protect
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Stephanie Zoltowski
LEFT: A police officer gets hands-on at one of Zoltownski’s training sessions. RIGHT: More than 1,200 first responders have
completed her training