To the Editor:

It’s too darn bad, as a special-needs parent who goes to conferences, meetings, support groups, etc., that I have never heard of the [Albany County Sheriff’s] Yellow Dot program, nor the special-needs registry. Also, until very recently, and mostly because someone in law enforcement alerted me to it, I wasn’t even aware there was a Project Lifesaver program in this area.

So, if the deputy is going to write an opinion in a little local paper (so as not to be outdone, which I feel like is his real intention), then I suggest he do a little more advertising and publicizing of these programs, so that parents like myself can be appropriately and knowledgeably informed.

Advertise it in all local Capital District towns and police departments, attend special-needs fairs, alert special-education departments in schools, reach out to support groups and the Autism Society — places where parents frequent and places they turn to for resources for matters that are crucially important.

If these programs are intended for families like mine, then reach out to us appropriately, not just in a small paper in a small column in the opinion section!

Kim Matthews

Guilderland

Editor’s note: The Enterprise ran an editorial on Feb. 6 about local police programs to help the elderly and those with special needs.