Families Testify on Shock Therapy

As the Massachusettes legislature considers four bills to curtail the use of shock therapy on the developmentally disabled, individuals and their families are stepping forward with their own diverse testimonies on the controversial method.

BOSTON -- It has become a wrenching but familiar sight for members of the Legislature: Brandon Sanchez - restrained by his uncle, Representative Jeffrey Sanchez - writhing as he attempts to kick, claw, and slap at his own face, the self-injurious consequence of a debilitating mental disorder.

In some ways, Brandon has become the poster child for the Judge Rotenberg Center, a Canton special needs institution that backers say is the only one in the country to apply skin shock therapy to the severely disabled, a method labeled by some lawmakers as barbaric and torture but supported by families of patients who say it is their last resort.

Athletes Head to Special Olympics World Games

SEATTLE- Please forgive John Borgognoni if he and his group don't stay until the end of the Mariners game Friday night.

They've got to hop out of bed at 3 a.m. sharp Saturday to head out on the journey of a lifetime.

Nine Washington state athletes will be on their way to Athens, Greece, to compete as part of Team USA in the 2011 Special Olympics World Games.

The event, for athletes with intellectual disabilities, is expected to draw 7,500 entrants from 185 countries, including more than 400 from the U.S.

Washington's contingent, ranging in age from 20 to 45, includes two bowlers, two power lifters, two cyclists, a golfer, a runner and a swimmer.

Although five have competed in previous World Games, this will be the first time the event has been held in Greece, birthplace of the Olympics.