The spotlight has been shone on the bullying of deaf pupils after a US schoolboy spoke out when his backpack was taken by two other pupils (who he didn’t know) and dumped in a toilet. The image of the backpack dumped then when viral.
More positively, the boy has spoken out publicly against what happened to him.
Staff at Nebraska’s Burke High School are investigating a reported case of bullying against a student who is deaf.
Someone took Alexis Hernandez’s backpack during the lunch period on Wednesday and dumped his tablet, school supplies, homework and debit card into a toilet. The backpack also contained Hernandez’s cochlear implant — without which he can’t hear.
Hernandez immediately told administrators his backpack was missing. They helped him look for it but were unsuccessful. School security officials reviewed surveillance video and saw two unidentifiable male students walk off with his bag.
Hernandez apparently didn’t know either of the students.
“Those students think it’s OK to bully a deaf student, but it’s not. It’s not OK to bully someone who is disabled, deaf or hard of hearing,” Hernandez said. “Or anyone for that matter.”
Hernandez, who has been deaf since he was 1 year old, said he’s been bullied and joked about for years because of his disability, but added this whole incident has left him feeling unsafe to go back to school.
“This just got out of hand. There’s too much bullying, too much drama, too much fighting, it’s just not nice,” Hernandez said.
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molyfam
September 6, 2016
I know the feeling well. I suffer from CHARGE and have been partially deaf since birth. I went to school during the 50’s and 60’s when there was very little support for deaf people, let alone disabled people. I lost count of the number of times I ended up in hospital because school bullies. They in fact made my deafness worse by targeting my earpiece, causing extensive damage to the ear and resulting infections. As a result of this, I had to have a huge mastoid operation, so I ended up with a bone conduction hearing aid – with reduced hearing.
Needless to say, most of my school days were not very happy and I left school with no qualifications.
Maxine
September 6, 2016
I kept my deafness a secret at school, I always had a book in my hands so when I didn’t hear everyone assumed it was because I was reading, it made them come closer to me so I could hear. I hot the nickname ” Bookworm”
Tim
September 6, 2016
Then when we leave school, the bullying continues.
First, employers refuse to give Deaf people jobs because they’re Deaf.
Then the job centre pretends that it is Deaf people’s fault that employers won’t give them jobs and pick on them with conditionality and sanctions.
That’s bullying too and that’s not all right too.
Maxine
September 6, 2016
When I asked for an induction loop for my job centre interview I was told ” You can lip read can’t you”. It’s appalling.