A recent national survey has shown that fully two-thirds of high schoolers have experienced physical harassment and bullying in school, and the vast majority of these incidents are not reported to school personnel. The majority of these incidents center on two primary areas: whether a student looks different from the norm in some way, and whether the student is perceived to be gay, lesbian or bisexual. This survey brings to the fore some difficult realities for children with disabilities in high school. Very often, a student with a disability looks different or acts different in some way. Whether the disability is autism, NVLD, a physical challenge or an attentional issue, the differences are there (though some more obvious than others). Moreover, if that same student is perceived to be other than heterosexual, the student will likely suffer a double dose of harassment and abuse.
I represented a family several years ago where a high schooler with a learning disability was perceived to be gay and was tormented to the point of seriously contemplating suicide. The tormentors were all popular athletes at school, and the only realistic recourse was to change placements to literally save this child's life. The school's attitude was illustrative: first, they denied that there was a problem at all; second, they argued that at the high school level, it was up to the student to self-advocate and take "responsibility." Harassment and abuse both from staff to student and student upon student has been well documented in the literature. The two most prominent U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Gebser (524 U.S. 274) and Davis (526 U.S. 629), found a cause of action for sexual harassment in school under Title IX, provided that sufficient notice was given to school personnel with authority to act, and the school personnel then failed to act. Nevertheless, schools refuse to accept that horrendous acts are occurring right under their noses, or they make it the victims "responsibility" to self-advocate. It is no small wonder that given this environment, students are hesitant to speak up and make a record of the abuse.
Schools need to step up and take "responsibility" and vigorously enforce anti-harassment policies, whether based upon disability, sexuality, or appearance. Policies need to be prominently disseminated stating that such acts are wrong and will not be tolerated in school. Schools need to understand that for many students with disabilities, difficulty with self-advocacy is just part of their disability. Staff modeling of self-advocacy, rather than demanding it because a student has achieved a certain age, can at least turn a moment of torment into a teachable moment. Most of all, schools need to recognize the plain realities of harassment and create an environment conducive to reporting incidents. While I have been in some schools that actually do a superior job of protecting students from harassment and abuse, this national survey unfortunately confirms that those proactive and protective environments are the exception and not the norm.
This organization recently came to my attention: Illinois Assistive Technology Program. www.iltech.org
They provide short term device loans to Illinois residents free of charge. Listing of their inventory is posted on the web. Everything from software to devices. Great to try out before purchasing. Hope this is helpful.
Posted by: Fran Saplis | June 08, 2006 at 08:47 PM