JFActivist

Study Finds Bullying More Common Among Students with Disabilities

via DisabilityScoop (7.29.11):

Study: Bullying More Common Among Students with Disabilities

by Michelle Diament

Kids with disabilities and other special health care needs are at increased risk for bullying and generally show less motivation to succeed in school, new research indicates.

The findings come from a study published this week in the journal Pediatrics that looked at more than 1,450 students in fourth through sixth grade attending three rural school districts in Maryland and West Virginia.

Through surveys of the students and their parents, researchers found that about 1 in 3 kids in mainstream classrooms at the schools had some type of special health care need ranging from asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to emotional and behavioral disorders.

>>>For the Full Article

Transportation Security Administration Criticized for Treatment of Passenger with Severe Mental Illness

via the Association for Airline Passenger Rights (6.15.11):

Association for Airline Passenger Rights Expresses Outrage Over TSA's Treatment of Passenger with Severe Mental Illness; Cruel Treatment Exhibited by TSA Agents Warrants Immediate Review

The Association for Airline Passenger Rights ("AAPR") today expressed outrage over the Transportation Security Administration's ("TSA") cruel treatment toward a 22-year old passenger with several mental illness despite concerns expressed by his family that he had the mental capacity of a 2-year old. The incident, which occurred at Metro Detroit's McNamera Terminal (DTW) while the family was flying to Disney World, demonstrates that an immediate need exists for TSA's to review its policies to prevent future abuse and humiliation of passengers with physical, sensory, cognitive and mental disabilities. AAPR contends that the incident violates the spirit of the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (ACAA).

"We don't accept airlines violating the rights of passengers with disabilities, and we need to hold our government to the same basic standards," argued Brandon M. Macsata, Executive Director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights. "This sort of inexcusable treatment of a passenger with severe mental disabilities, who was under parental supervision at the time nonetheless, cannot and must not be tolerated. If it wasn't a violation of the ACAA law - which is designed to protect very basic rights afforded to passengers with disabilities - then it surely goes against the spirit of the law"...

>>>To Read More on This Incident...

Do YOU have a travel horror story? Please share your experience below or send to policy@aapd.com.

10 Best Practices Schools Can Use to Help Students Living with Mental Illness

via the National Alliance on Mental Illness (6.15.11):
 

Ten Best Practices for Schools

Schools play a critical role in helping students diagnosed with mental illnesses reach their full academic and functional potential. The academic performance and behavioral functioning of students significantly improves when their mental health needs are effectively addressed. NAMI calls on schools to adopt the following ten best practices:

1. Train teachers and staff on the early warning signs of mental illnesses and how to effectively communicate with families about mental health related concerns. To learn more about NAMI’s Parents and Teachers as Allies publication and in-service education program, visit www.nami.org/caac.

2. Train school professionals in effective and research-based teaching methods and behavioral interventions, including positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS – as described at www.pbis.org).

3. Educate the entire school community about mental illnesses, including providing age-appropriate information about these conditions in the health curriculum, to help ensure a broader awareness about mental illnesses and to reduce stigma.

4. Develop and implement a plan to reduce the unacceptably high dropout and failure rates of students with mental illnesses. This includes providing a comprehensive functional behavioral assessment for students that need it and implementing effective classroom interventions. Schools cannot do this alone. NAMI stands ready to call on other community leaders to work to reduce school dropout and failure rates for these students.

5. Provide research-based and effective school-based mental health services and develop an effective link to the community mental health system for students with more intensive mental health service needs

6. Develop effective partnerships with families that recognize the value of their input about how a student’s illness impacts their academic work, peer relationships and interaction with others in the school community. These partnerships will recognize the importance of cultural competence.

7. Provide appropriate accommodations for students when they are needed , including a safe place to quiet down, additional time for completing home and school work, the assignment of a mentor, flexibility in the school day schedule and other individualized and appropriate accommodations. When appropriate, refer students for an evaluation for special education services.

8. Provide effective transition services and supports for students returning to school after receiving treatment away from school and for those transitioning between different school levels and/or into life in the community. Provide guidance for teachers and staff on effective supports for students returning to school after time away.

9. Develop effective anti-bullying policies so that students with mental illnesses are not targeted for bullying or singled out as bullies as a result of symptoms of their illness.

10. Develop effective crisis prevention and intervention services to help prevent and address psychiatric crises, youth suicide and related serious public health concerns.

NAMI applauds schools working to make a positive difference in the lives of students with mental illnesses! 

 

Would you add any other best practices to this list? Please share your ideas in comments below.

Abuse in Residential Care Facilities: How Long Will It Continue?

via Time Magazine (6.7.11): 

Why So Much Abuse Is Allowed to Continue in Residential Care

by Maia Szalavitz

The stories are beyond horrifying: an autistic boy crushed to death by a "restraint" gone awry; a disabled woman's diaper pulled aside as she is raped; an elderly woman left to lie on a urine-soaked box spring for six days after being beaten.

In two of the nation's largest states, major media investigations this spring revealed hellish conditions in institutions for the disabled: The New York Times exposed ongoing violations, including physical and psychological abuse, in state-run homes for the developmentally disabled, while the Miami Herald uncovered similar tales of maltreatment and neglect in assisted-living homes for the elderly...

>>>For the Full Article...

How do you feel that institutional living settings increase PWD's vulnerability? How can these abuses of power be prevented? Please share your thoughts in comments below.

TN Man with Cerebral Palsy Wrongfully Accused of Drunk Driving

via KnoxNews (6.6.11): 

Lenoir City man alleges false arrest in lawsuit against Loudon sheriff, 4 others

By Natalie Neysa Alund

Garry Palmer sang his dead wife a gospel tune he wrote as he sat beside her headstone May 17, 2010, at Lake-view Cemetery in Loudon County.

It was the same routine the Lenoir City resident had performed every day since 53-year-old Brenda Palmer succumbed to kidney failure in 2008. But this particular evening took a path the 59-year-old man never expected and, he believes, changed his reputation forever.

Palmer has cerebral palsy.

He shakes.

He walks with a limp.

His speech is slurred.

On his way home that night, he accidently struck a dog that darted in front of his pickup truck. Deputies responded, and, Palmer said, because of his medical condition, wrongfully assumed he was driving drunk and sent him to jail. Now he has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit accusing Loudon County Sheriff Tim Guider, three county deputies and a court clerk of false arrest, failure to train officers, malicious prosecution and a constitutional rights violation...

>>>For the Full Article...

How do you feel situations like this can be prevented? What would increased education for law enforcement look like? Share your thoughts in comments below.

 

A System in Disarray: Mistreatment and Mismanagement at NY Institutions for People with Developmental Disabilities

via the NY Times (6.5.11):
  

A Disabled Boy’s Death, and a System in Disarray

by Danny Hakim

...On a February afternoon in 2007, Jonathan, a skinny, autistic 13-year-old, was asphyxiated, slowly crushed to death in the back seat of a van by a state employee who had worked nearly 200 hours without a day off over 15 days. The employee, a ninth-grade dropout with a criminal conviction for selling marijuana, had been on duty during at least one previous episode of alleged abuse involving Jonathan...

In the front seat of the van, the driver, another state worker at Oswald D. Heck Developmental Center, watched through the rear-view mirror but said little. He had been fired from four different private providers of services to the developmentally disabled before the state hired him to care for the same vulnerable population.

O. D. Heck is one of nine large institutions in New York that house the developmentally disabled, those with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other conditions.

These institutions spend two and a half times as much money, per resident, as the thousands of smaller group homes that care for far more of the 135,000 developmentally disabled New Yorkers receiving services.

But the institutions are hardly a model: Those who run them have tolerated physical and psychological abuse, knowingly hired unqualified workers, ignored complaints by whistle-blowers and failed to credibly investigate cases of abuse and neglect, according to a review by The New York Times of thousands of state records and court documents, along with interviews of current and former employees...

>>>For the Full Article...

 

How can recorded accounts of these institutions' mistreatment of residents and irresponsible management of funding be used to advocate for quality living situations for people with developmental disabilities? Please share your thoughts in comments below. 

Facebook Under Fire: Refuses to Take Down Pages Offensive to PWD

via DisabilityScoop.com (5.31.11):
 

Disability Advocates Call out Facebook Over Offensive Pages

by Michelle Diament

A group of disability advocates is charging that Facebook is turning a blind eye to profiles and pages on the social network that they say are offensive to people with disabilities.

In an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, advocates point to profiles and pages on the social network with names like “I am retarded and proud of it” and “Re Tard” that persist even after repeated reports to site administrators. They also claim that profiles critical of individuals with disabilities feature stolen photos of kids with special needs that have been ripped from personal Facebook pages.

More than 1,000 people have signed on to the letter spearheaded by Steven and Holly Tischer, who have a son with Down syndrome and run the organization Tischer’s Troops, which supports inclusion.

They plan to present the letter to Facebook officials on Wednesday by asking supporters to post it to the notes section of Zuckerberg’s Facebook page.

>>>For the Full Article...

 

If Facebook does not respond to the Tischer's letter, what advocacy steps should our community take from there? Please share your thoughts in comments below.

Deaf Professor Wins Suit Over Firing

via Amarillo Globe-News (5.28.11):  

Deaf Professor Wins Suit Over Firing

A Lubbock County jury has decided Texas Tech University should pay a former professor more than $500,000 for discriminating against him because he is deaf.

Michael L. Collier, a deaf, tenure-track assistant professor hired to teach American Sign Language and other courses relating to deaf culture, was abruptly dismissed in October 2006.

The jury found Collier's disability was directly related to his termination...

"We wanted to show Tech it's wrong to bully a disabled person," said Bob Schmidt, one of Collier's attorneys.

He said the damages and pay the jury awarded Collier made it clear it is not OK for the university to treat disabled professors like second-class citizens.

>>>For the Full Article

 

How do you feel higher education institutions can increase inclusion for not only faculty members, but staff and students with disabilities as well? Please share your thoughts in comments below.

PSA Featuring Glee Cast Member Equates the R-Word with the N-word and other Slurs

From the JFA Moderator (5.31.11):

PSA Featuring Glee Cast Member Equates the R-Word with the N-word and other Slurs

AAPD is excited that the campaign to reshape popular opinion about usage of the r-word has a new tool to wield. In an appropriately uncomfortable PSA from the campaign to "Spread the Word to End the  Word," Lauren Potter, a self-advocate who plays Becky Jackson on "Glee" and as such accepted AAPD's 2011 Image Award, states "it is not acceptable to call me a r----- or call yourself or your friends  r-----ed when they do something foolish."  Titled "Not Acceptable," this new PSA makes it clear that the R-word is no different from other slurs which are widely recognized as unacceptable. The clip features  people of various minority groups saying it is not acceptable to use the slurs that were once commonly  used toward them.

Controversial for its usage of offensive slurs, the PSA aired during the season finale of Fox's "Glee" last Tuesday and is slated to be shown on a number of other networks including CBS, MTV, USA Network, and the Turner Networks TNT, TBS, truTV and CNN.  However, out of sensitivity for families with young children, it will only be shown after 9pm and within programmng that is rated TV-14 or higher.

While we still have a long way to go, I am encouraged when looking back over the last few years of news and media around the R-Word.  There has been real progress in reshaping the public's thoughts and language regarding people with intellectual disabilities, and I think this PSA will go a long way toward educating people, young and old, about respect.  For a brief review of our progress and ways that AAPD has engaged on this issue, check out the sites below.

Rosa's Law Passed and signed into law
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2010/09/victory-senate-unanimously-passes-rosas-law-to-remove-r-word-from-federal-books.html
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2010/10/president-obama-signs-rosas-law.html

Spread the Word to End the Word 3.3.10
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2010/02/rword-controversy-coast-to-coast-and-how-to-get-involved.html

Rahm Emanuel Joins the Campaign to Spread the Word to End the Word
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2010/02/rahm-emanuel-joins-rword-campaign.html

Tropic Thunder Boycott
http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2008/08/nyt-disability.html
and the take down of the "Simple Jack" marketing website http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2008/08/simple-jack-mar.html

>>> To sign the plege to spread the word to end the word
 

>>> For more information on this video check out the Spread the Word to End the Word webpage

>>> For Lauren Potters other campaign to fight bullying

Man Dumped from Wheelchair by DC Police Speaks Out, AAPD's Helena Berger Comments

via MyFoxDC.com (5.23.11):   

Disabled Man Injured During Arrest at U Street Metro Speaks

by MAUREEN UMEH & MATT ACKLAND 

A wheelchair bound man, arrested by Metro Transit Police last week in an incident some say was unjustified is speaking out. It comes as Metro Police officials launch a formal review of the incident.

Dwight Harris ended up with injuries to his face that required several stitches and a huge bandage after his arrest Thursday afternoon outside the U-Street/Cardozo Metro stop.

A witness captured the incident on their cell phone and posted it on YouTube.

Harris was arrested for assault on a police officer and drinking in public.

"They tell him to stand, and he can't really stand if he's in a wheelchair, and they slammed him on the ground, and the whole side of his face is just leaking," said Fields.

The American Association of People with Disabilities is also commenting about the video. Acting CEO Helena Berger says she was shocked when she first saw it.

"This is not the first time that someone with a disability is basically mistreated, and I think this goes to the bigger question: Where's the training for law enforcement?" Berger said.

The two officers have since been placed on administrative leave.

>>>For the Full Article

The U St. incident is not the first time law enforcement has used unwarranted and brutal force against a person with a disability. In 2008, Tampa, FL deputies dumped a quadriplegic man from his wheelchair. In 2009, Alabama police pepper sprayed and tasered an innocent deaf man.

How can we prevent police brutality against people with disabilities? What would improved training for law enforcement look like? Share your thoughts in comments below.