Hartford Courant: The claim was discrimination against a CT child with autism and diabetes. This settlement was reached.

“Authorities said the matter was initiated by a complaint filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut by the Center for Children’s Advocacy “on behalf of the parents of a child with Type 1 diabetes.”

A 4-year-old child with severe autism was enrolled in a full-day program at Creative Interventions, an autism center. In the fall of 2023, the child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Upon being informed of the diagnosis, Creative Interventions notified the child's parents that the center would not manage the child's diabetes care.

The parents were told that if they wished for their child to continue attending the program at the center, one of them would need to stay in the parking lot all day in case the child required assistance related to T1D. Committed to ensuring their child's autism needs were met, the parents did so, sitting in the parking lot every day from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for nearly two months. Eventually, when this arrangement became unsustainable, the parents transitioned the child to a part-day public school and part-day Creative Interventions program. However, a parent still had to remain in the parking lot to allow the child to attend the half-day program at Creative Interventions.

Efforts to resolve the situation were unsuccessful, leading to the filing of a complaint with the Justice Department,” says Bonnie Roswig, JD,  Director, Disability Rights, Medical-Legal Partnership Project. The Justice Department opened an investigation and subsequently reached a Settlement Agreement with Creative Interventions.