When Disabled Students Are Abused

This is the second in a series of posts about trauma due to criminalization of disabled students by Amy Sequenzia. Content Warning: ableist slurs, description of abuse. I write this post based on the case linked here, NC Boy With Autism Slapped: Former Teacher Gets Jailtime , and on similar cases that make the news when they happen but after that we don’t hear about the victims. I will tell what happened to me, how I reacted to the abuse, and the lasting trauma that might have gone unnoticed to many.

 The case in the link had a better ending than most.

  • disabled students are children who need supports, they are not criminals, they are not criminals, they are not criminals, they are not criminals. By Amy Sequenzia on Ollibean

The Criminalization of Disabled Students

This is the first of a series of posts about trauma due to criminalization of disabled students by Amy Sequenzia. The Trauma Is Real Everyone has heard of the school-to-prison pipeline. It is the system that criminalizes students' minor infractions of school rules. It is the result of "zero tolerance" policies, of the presence of cops (School Resource Officers - SRO) in schools. It has become so extreme that a student kicking a trash can, due to frustration, can lead to a criminal record, detention in a juvenile facility and criminal charges instead of a school disciplinary action, like after

  • Photo of a girl holding a sparkler. Text reads: Active listening is paying attention to all possible ways of communication an Autistic child uses. Amy Sequenzia on Ollibean

Parents, Are You Listening To Your Child?

As a non-speaking Autistic, I pay special attention to comments and statements made by parents of other non-speaking Autistics, especially children. Many times I see parents lamenting that they will never listen to their Autistic child say "I love you", or how much they long to hear those words.

Normalcy is an Ableist Concept

by Amy Sequenzia Ableism: we know it is everywhere and we know it is the reason why disabled people fight the normative society that chooses to make us invisible. The idea that we should try to fit a pre-determined, arbitrary way of doing things excludes disabled people by default. We are often ignored, many times abused, used as props for inspiration porn, and generally left out - unless we change how we do things, unless non-disabled people feel at least a little comfortable in our presence. Despite laws and general common sense, any accommodations necessary to make a little

Autistics Can BE Friends

Just like people in the neuro majority do not automatically understand social norms of autistics so it is that autistics do not automatically understand the social norms of the neuro majority. This is not complicated. Our different neurologies sort us out to have different norms when it comes to behaviors around friendships. As a society we seem to operate on an assumption that the social ways of the majority are the right ways. We do not think about this or talk about this. We all define the standard by a majority rules mentality. Then, anyone who deviates from this standard

Out of the Goodness of Your Heart

I have nothing against the goodness in the hearts of other people. However, I would like to explain how it feels to be on the receiving end when I am befriended out of the goodness of your heart. First of all this doesn’t a friendship make because authentic friendships are reciprocal. This means that giving and receiving go both ways. The benefits are mutual. When you befriend me out of the goodness of your heart - and then tell me so - I understand that you are assuming the role of a kind benevolent person while I am perceived as

Helping the Poor and Disabled

Will your attitude draw circles of holiday meaningfulness where you include yourself in what already is or will your attitude draw lines that allow you to help those poor and disabled people on the other side?

I Am Disabled and I Am Proud

‎"Polite society often tells us that we need to take the 'dis' out of disability, but maybe... just maybe, we should spend some time putting it back in. Take the "dis" out of disability and you remove the core of what has shaped my life. Disability puts the "D" in diversity, but in order to make that a real difference we've got to own that spot. It took me 35 years to respect and honor that truth. Others shouldn't have to wait that long..." Lawrence Carter-Long

The Reality Behind Those Walls

The Judge Rotenberg Center is recruiting disabled students in the Midwest to be legally tortured with electric shocks. Help us stop this inhumane treatment of disabled people.

Much Needed Resource: “We Are Like Your Child”

"We are like your child. Your child is like us. And we may have difficulties, we are disabled--but there is no denying that we are also awesome."

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