Bullying In Special Education Research Paper

Special education students would also feel harmed through bullying. According to Bowman, (2001) bullying and teasing have become critical issues nationwide. This is particularly true as it applies to youth with disabilities. In July, 2000, the U.S. Department of Education issued an official statement on behalf of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) regarding disability harassment in school. The number of complaints and consultation calls to OCR and OSERS demonstrates steadily increasing allegations and proven situations of disability harassment (U.S. Department of Education, 2000). Bullies tend to focus on peers who seem vulnerable, such as those who are passive, anxious,

This teasing, a form of bullying which includes spreading rumors or gossip, ridicule verbal abuse, public shunning or private humiliation and embarrassment, peer victimization, in which students are repeatedly harassed, ridiculed, teased, scorned, and excluded, is one of today’s most overlooked educational problems (Brendtro, 2001). Students consistently rank verbal behavior as the primary mode of teasing, and it has been found that long-term verbal harassment is as damaging psychologically as infrequent physical harassment. Students express a great deal of confusion about teasing and how to deal with it, and some argue that social and communication skills are central to dealing with teasing and harassment in any successful anti-bullying efforts (Hoover & Oliver, 1996; Hoover & Olson, 2000; Stein,

In addition, the researchers found that the bullying experienced by these children was more chronic in nature and was most often directly related to their disability. In a landmark study conducted in 1994, researchers found that children with visible physical conditions or disabilities are more likely to be called names or aggressively excluded from social activities (Olweus, 1994). Other researchers have discovered that students with disabilities were more worried about school safety and being injured or harassed by peers, compared to students without a disability (Saylor & Leach,