"Tom is blessed to be well-resourced. He lives independently in an assisted living facility, a 15-minute drive from his parents. He is an avid Pokémon card collector and a frequent visitor to the neighborhood library. He also loves Snickers bars-which is a problem because he has borderline type II diabetes. His parents control his access to spending money and try to limit his sweet intake."
"Now and then, when he doesn't have any spare cash, Tom steals a few Snickers bars from a neighborhood store. All the caretakers in his life have counseled him repeatedly to stop this behavior, but he intermittently gives in to the urge. The staff of the local establishments know Tom; they call his parents for payment if they catch Tom sneaking out of the store with unpaid merchandise."
Tom is a 40-year-old, 6'6" man with an intellectual disability and intermittent depression who lives in assisted living, collects Pokémon cards, and frequents the neighborhood library. He has borderline type II diabetes and a recurring problem with stealing Snickers bars when he lacks cash. Local staff and caretakers know him and often call his parents to resolve shoplifting incidents. During a recent visit to a new CVS, a cashier followed Tom and a newly hired officer pursued, tackled, cuffed, and charged him after he ran. Individuals with non-apparent disabilities may struggle to respond to police instructions, increasing the risk of excessive force; alerting officers to invisible disabilities may save lives.
Read at Psychology Today
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