The National Bullying Prevention Center claims that there isn't much research on bullying and disabilities, but of the research that has been conducted it has been found that "children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers. One study shows that 60 percent of students with disabilities report being bullied regularly compared with 25 percent of all students."
Factors that other children may perceive as vulnerability such as social challenges or isolated environments may increase the risk of bullying. For children who don't have disabilities, it may be harder for them to understand certain conditions and causes them to see others with impairments as different. As a result of their condition it is easier for them to be labeled as targets to bullies. Students who are targets of bullying are more likely to have lower grade averages, poor friendships, experience loneliness and possibly depression.
The Departments of Education and Justice have actually implemented some laws to protect children with disabilities who are being bullied. When bullying is directed at a child their established disability and it creates a hostile environment at school, bullying behavior can be labeled as “disability harassment.” Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the school must address the harassment. Once harassment is reported, the school is obligated to investigate, eliminate the harassment and hostile environment, and prevent it from occurring again.
Links:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/groups/special-needs/index.html
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/08/keeping-students-with-disabilities-safe-from-bullying/
It's really sad how people who are disabled get bullied more than those who are not. They aren't any less great of a person just because they may be in a wheelchair or have some other disability. People treat them badly because they like to make fun of them without even getting to know them for who they are. Its just sad to hear that they will have lower grades and be lonely. At least schools are doing something about the harassment to try and make it stop!
ReplyDeleteI think part of that comes from there being such a negative connotation to words like mental disability. It's almost like people who have a mental disability are the scourge of the earth. There are a lot of people who would benefit from being on medications but won't because they will be "labeled". I volunteered with a special education class during junior high, and they really are some of the nicest kids you will meet, and some of them are really smart/talented in a particular area (math/drawing/etc). You would also think after all of this time (1973/1990) that we would be better at handling/eradicating bullying.But I guess something is better than nothing and we have to start somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI think that children with disabilities that are bullied are similar to so many other situations in which people are mistreated. People tend to fear and are unwilling to accept things and people that are different. This ignorance coupled with what Rae mentions with labeling creates a negativity that becomes associated with these children. People don't understand these conditions and sometimes that causes people to react negatively.
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