Current Events
Diability Harassment is Not Only Morally and Ethically Wrong, it is aCivil Rights Violation
The US Department of Education says that disability harassment is illegal:
"Disability harassment is preventable and cannot be tolerated. Schools, colleges, and universities should address the issue of disability harassment not just when but before incidents occur. ...[A]wareness can be an important element in preventing harassment in the first place. The Department of Education is committed to working with schools, parents, disability advocacy organizations, and other interested parties to ensure that no student is ever subjected to such conduct....When disability harassment limits or denies a student's ability to participate in or benefit from an educational institution's programs or activities, the institution must respond effectively. Where the institution learns that disability harassment may have occurred, the institution must investigate the incident(s) promptly and respond appropriately." Examples of disability harassment, include: "Several students continually remark out loud to other students during class that a student with dyslexia is "retarded" or "deaf and dumb," and does not belong in the class; as a result, the harassed student has difficulty doing work in class and her grades decline. A student repeatedly places classroom furniture or other objects in the path of classmates who use wheelchairs, impeding the classmates' ability to enter the classroom.... A professor repeatedly belittles and criticizes a student with a disability for using accommodations in class, with the result that the student is so discouraged that she has great difficulty performing in class and learning. Students continually taunt or belittle a student with mental retardation by mocking and intimidating him so he does not participate in class. " |