Victimization of children with disabilities: coping strategies and protective factors

Abstract

Students with disabilities are frequently victimized or marginalized at school. However, little is known from the perspective of youth with disabilities about their experiences of victimization, coping, and protection. The current study examined experiences of school victimization and identified factors that reduced victimization, created a welcoming environment, or improved coping. Based on ten in-depth interviews, five themes emerged: victimization specific to disability was common; some schools were the source of victimization; support from educators, family, and peers reduced victimization; blending with classmates and educating peers helped to overcome victimization; and some disability characteristics limited the strategies to cope with victimization. Both peers and schools were the source of victimization in some situations and the source of coping in others. Findings reinforce the importance of family, peers, and school support to prevent victimization, as aggression is less likely to occur in environments that embrace diversity and support children with disabilities. Points of Interest In this study, we heard from students in the United States living with a disability about how that disability shaped their friendships, relationships with family, and relationships with school personnel. Youth with disabilities experienced physical (e.g., hitting or punching), verbal (e.g., name-calling), and relational victimization (e.g., spreading rumors or leaving someone out of a group on purpose); much of it was specific to their disability. The support from family, peers, and school staff was important to protect youth with a disability from bullying and to help them cope with victimization. Youth experienced protection and support from participating in disability-specific summer camps, attending schools with like-minded peers (e.g., art school), and educating peers and school staff about their disability. Participants described significant difficulty getting the disability-related accommodations (e.g., wheelchair-accessible school bus, permission to carry blood glucose meter at school) they needed at school, which are required by law in the United States. This difficulty getting accommodations lead to feelings of victimization from school staff.