The influence of bullying on disabled students

  There are some evidences that bullying results in the physical exclusion from certain activities or classes in schools (MacArthur & Gaffney, 2001; Kearney, 2011).


  “In a study of physically disabled students in Ireland, Shevlin, Kenny, and McNeela (2002), found that the majority of students interviewed has often experienced exclusion from full curricular access" (Kearney, 2011, p.83).


  It is due to the fact that the self-esteem and social skills for students with physical disabilities are decreased as they are bullied by non-disabled peers. Therefore, it lead them to be isolated not only physically, but also emotionally from everyone else in a classroom. 

Nick Vujicic said, 

"Many people would say, "you ain't called unless you do what We do. You ain't called unless you are part of OUR group"

(Teasing-Stop the Epidemic, 2012)

Image from <http://www.epm.org/blog/2012/Mar/14/nick-vujicic-he-uses-me-just-way-i-am>

Eventually, disabled students with behavioural and emotional problems are more likely to be victimized by bullying, and bullies tend to frequently target smaller and weaker peers (Child Health Alert, 2006, as cited from Flynt & Morton, 2007). Therefore, students with disabilities who physically differ from the norm have the highest risk of being bullied at schools. 

"Getting picked on. . .the bullies (who) push me over and hit me in the head with a skipping rope...I was kicked and punched in the back all assembly by girls . . . I ended up crying" (MacArthur & Gaffney, 2001, p.20).

"Interviewer: Have you got any ideas why some kids pick on other kids?

Tom: Probably it’s because I’m a disability and probably because I don’t know what really to do and that sort of situation because these kids are in big gangs" 

(MacArthur et al., 2001, p.21)