This week I was honored to present a training to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s office in Lansing, MI about victims with disabilities.
In recent years, there have been some major cases reported of crimes against people with disabilities. In this podcast I dive deeply into these cases, some of which are graphic in nature (NSFW and may not be suitable for children). I find that these cases are not reported in the media frequently enough on a national level, and for this reason most people are not aware of the brutality that is sometimes used against people with disabilities. I recommend that you listen to my description of these cases so you can fully empathize and get a well-rounded picture of the larger problem. I highlight these cases, so we can evaluate and identify how to assess situations involving victims with disabilities and implement systemic change to empower people with disabilities and create a safer environment for them to thrive.
This podcast also discusses how the criminals in these cases start displaying violent criminal behavior against people with disabilities from a young age. Many of the cases I talk about involve teenagers who commit violent crimes against people with disabilities, and we need to address how to train young people to better respect people with disabilities, and to not seek approval by posting violence on social media apps.
I also discuss strategies for helping someone with a disability explain and report what happened. In this podcast I explain communication methods and accommodations that can help when attorneys and loved ones are trying to ascertain the details of a crime in an effort to help a person with a disability.
In Part 2 of this episode, which will be posted later this week, I will go more into the specific statistics of crimes against people with disabilities in the recent past and studies published on this topic. So have a listen to this episode to learn about current events pertaining to this problem and to gain an understanding of why this is important and how you can help, and then tune in to our next episode to learn about the statistics of incidence of crime against people with disabilities and important and compelling research on the topic.
For more individualized assistance on a specific situation involving a victim with a disability, or to receive a training on this topic or other topics involving people with disabilities, please feel free to reach out to me at legallyabled@gmail.com.
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The articles referenced in this podcast are found at:
◦http://abc7chicago.com/news/video-man-with-cerebral-palsy-mocked-punched-/2027050/
◦http://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/06/07/teens-video-punching-disabled-man-arrested/
◦http://wishtv.com/2017/05/25/man-charged-with-sexual-battery-victim-is-teenager-with-disability/
◦https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/09/18/disabled-teen-attacked-outside-north-metro-target