Ableism in schools

This article is going to take a more serious tone, because this story hits a little too close to home for me personally as someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, this is an example of what several neurodivergent and disabled students have endured and it’s important to spread awareness about it. Around the year 2017, in Rockdale county, Georgia, an awards ceremony was held in memorial middle school where two teachers believed it was a grand idea to give an ADHD student an award titled “most likely to not pay attention” award. May I remind you that this “award” was announced in front of all the child’s peers, further humiliating the child for something she was born with. Along with this, the student’s mother had a history of receiving calls about her daughter’s inattentive habits, demanding the mom to teach her how to pay attention. Understandably, parents were furious with this disgusting behavior from the school and complained about this to the school. Luckily the school board immediately took action and the two teachers received a forced resignation. Shortly after, the school addressed the problem and denounced the demeaning act. When the child’s mother, Nicole Edwards was interviewed by a reporter from WBSTV, about the incident about the results she stated: 

    "At this time, I would like to thank the superintendent, Mr. Autry, for taking immediate action regarding this matter. My family appreciates his concerns. My goal is to make sure that this horrible event never happens to another kid again. As a parent, it is my job to protect my child from being humiliated and bullied, especially when the bully is her teacher. Making fun of any disability is not acceptable."

    

Unfortunately there are several other cases of neurodivergent and disabled students being humiliated by school staff and peers. This is because people have often failed to understand or be sensitive to these individuals which is harmful and further isolates them from their peers. These kinds of heinous acts like the incident described can also make these students more susceptible to suicidal ideation, due to stigmatization of their disability and alienation. Schools should be a place where all students can learn and be treated humanely, not just the physically able or the neurotypical. More about this story is in the links below.

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/rockdale-county/teachers-give-student-with-adhd-most-likely-to-not-pay-attention-award/524480483/

https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/georgia-teachers-fired-after-student-with-adhd-given-most-likely-to-not-pay-attention-award/