Some great information for parents or anyone with a school age child with a disability in their life. PEAK’s Back-to-School 2011 E-Newsletter
Archive for Education
PEAK’s Back-to-School 2011 E-Newsletter
Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education, Raising A Disabled Child
More Abuse of Disabled Students In School
A disabled child in Georgia was repeatedly sprayed with Lysol for passing gas in school. Now for a lot of middle school children this might be a good joke or gag. However, this was a child Downs Syndrome. This young child is unable to communicate verbally.
The teacher is accused of doing this has been accused of other abusive practices for a three year period between 2004 and 2007.
Why is this just now making the news? It seems the Fulton County School System had been withholding complaints against this teacher. These complaints and incidents were made public just recently.
The report that is only now being released includes statements from other teachers, school nurses and support staff alleging abuse. The principal failed to report any of these incidents to the Division of Family and Children Services as is required by law in Georgia.
Among the allegations reported by other school personnel over the three year period are that the teacher; hit, kicked, stepped on, restrained, isolated and neglected students. In one case, she allegedly threw a camera at a child’s head which caused swelling and bruising.
This continued for three years. The principal knew it was happening and continued to cover it up. Only recently were the teacher and principal removed. It is too little to late. Neither has been charged with any criminal act. Both were allowed to resign so they keep their pension and benefits.
Talk about a cover up. Pull the covers from over your head Georgia.
Parents of the “normal” children may think this is an isolated incident. It is not. This happens in all states and happens often.
Children with disabilities are being abused and neglected on a regular basis by public schools across this country. They have no voice. Those of us who speak out for them are too few and our voices are often ignored.
I will keep shouting into the wind if I have to. I know that the squeaky wheelchair will eventually be heard.
Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education
| Tags: disability, disabled, florida, restraint, school, seclusion, student
Stop Abuse of Students In Schools
TASH is organizing another campaign against restraint, seclusion and the abuse of disabled students enrolled in public schools. If you are interested in signing the document, please provide me with your email address, and title the email TASH. The more signatures we have, the louder our children’s voices become.
Together we can end legalized abuse! Go To Cause.
Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education, Living With A Disability, Raising A Disabled Child
| Tags: disability, disabled, florida, restraint, school, seclusion, student
Autism and Employment Webinar – Sept. 7, 2011
The Autism and Employment Webinar Learning Series: “Real Lives, Real Stories” September 7, 2011 * Noon-1:00 p.m. Register Here.
Category: Disabilities, Education, Employment
| Tags: autism, disability, disabled, employment, florida
Headline Reads “Women with disabilities less likely to be screened for breast cancer”
I hope there is nothing sinister here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that statistically women with disabilities right here in Florida and the rest of the country are less likely to be screened for breast cancer.
The statistical different in Florida is 7%. Nation wide there is a 5% difference.
The CDC does not venture an opinion as to why this happens. They suggest it may be a lack of access to medical care by women with disabilities.
However, most of the disabled have medicaid or a combination of medicare and medicaid.
We need to educate and inform women with disabilities that proper screening is needed. Although 5% does not sound like a large disparity, it is significant enough for the CDC to be concerned and take note.
If you know a women over the age of 40 with a disability (or even one with out a disability) let them know that screening for breast cancer is important.
Here is a link to the CDC Report.
Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education
Bullying is Unacceptable
A study in the journal Pediatrics shows what all parents of children with disabilities have know for years. It confirms the fact that children with disabilities are bullied more than children with out disabilities.
The study also found that children with disabilities were less likely to feel safe in school than their non-disabled counterparts. One study found 8 of 10 children with disabilities have been bullied and nearly that many have anxiety about going out in public because they fear being bullied or teased.
These numbers are extremely high and most people may thing they just can not be true.
Parents with children who have disabilities understand their children are targets. One of the worst problems is that it is not just other children, but adults also have been found to tease or bully the disabled.
It seems that as a society we need to have someone to feel superior to. There must be an “other” that we are better than. There has to be someone to blame for our problems. It is easier to point to someone who is different than they are.
The disabled are often afraid to report bullying. Many of the disabled are also non-verbal. They just can not tell anyone about the bullying. Even when reported, schools can be reluctant to take action. After all it is just happening to “those children”.
Being different is not exclusive to the disabled. Other groups throughout our history have suffered bullying and persecution because they were different. We would hope our nation has matured enough to look beyond physical attributes or physical abilities.
Remember do not be afraid to speak out about injustice, the squeaky wheelchair gets noticed.
Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education
Justice for Students with Disabilities
Nearly there and a half years ago Diana O’Neill a Venice Elementary School teacher was accused of aggravated child abuse for “torturing, punishing or caging” some of her special education students. Her actions would have put you or me in jail and would have resulted in the removal of our children by DCF. She, however, is still working for the Venice School system and she still draws a salary of nearly $80,000 a year.
In 2008 Ms O’Neil was accused the following actions:
- Backhanding a small girl who had areas of bone missing in her skull.
- Ripping a washcloth our of a student’s mouth with enough force to take a tooth with it.
- Slapping, hitting and kicking students.
- Pushing students down and then laughing at them.
- Hitting students on the head with a “board”.
- Hitting students on the head with a water bottle.
- Verbally abusing students, calling an overweight student “tons of fun” and a mentally challenged student named Olivia – “Oblivia”.
A jury of her peers found her not guilty of the aggravated child abuse. Her defense was that no one understands how hard it is to deal with students who have physical and mental challenges. Her defense also included statements that her actions were accepted practice in the educational system.
Her actions went well beyond abuse – the Florida Department of Education and the local school board administration have no back bone by letting this kind of teacher stay employed in our schools.
Previously posted on Howard’s Blog – View From the Dark Side of the Moon
http://blog.viewfromthedarksideofthemoon.com/
Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education
