Federal, NY state bills seek to end electric shock treatment for people with disabilities

NEW YORK — Two recent pieces of legislation are renewing a long-running fight over the practice of using electric shocks on people with disabilities as a behavior modification tool — and the role of New York taxpayer dollars in funding the only school in the country doing it. The Judge Rotenberg Center, a residential school for kids and adults in Canton, Massachusetts, has ignited controversy for decades for its use of a device that shocks people with disabilities to prevent what the school describes as dangerous or violent behaviors. Despite multiple attempts by lawmakers, parents and disabil…

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