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He Took Her Hearing Aids Because “She Wasn’t Listening Anyway”
This kind of thing happens more often than you might think.
I’ve been disabled for more than a decade and a half.
I can say, though I knew it before, I realize just how heinous some people can be to those who can’t defend themselves. The most vulnerable are the most targeted, and being young and disabled is even worse.
First, we have to deal with the bullies. They’re bad enough, and are a dime a damn dozen, but at least they’re expected. Right? We all know they exist, and children, unfortunately, can have a prodigious proclivity toward being cruel.
Again, though, that’s expected. Even the young understand that cruelty can exist, and can learn how to cope with the ramifications. It’s not easy, but there are many programs and outlets in place to help them navigate their way through it.
When it’s an adult, however, the story becomes that much deeper and darker. There is little recourse for a child going through it, not least of which is the propensity of other adults to disbelieve the child when they speak out.
Such was the case for my friend, Amanda, when we were in middle school.
