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.
