Say No to Diet Convictions: A Reflection of Dr. Diane Nelson Bryen's "Ending the Silence"

A few months ago, I spent my Friday night hooked on a marathon of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. One particular episode was one in which a group of school jocks gang rapped an intellectually disabled girl. While the guardians of the girl, along with law enforcement officials, tried to convict the group of boys for their crime, a slip of words and the coaxing of the defendant’s lawyers, left the girl, her family, and prosecutors without a conviction. The group of boys were let off scott-free and the girl had been made to think that she had asked for it and enjoyed it. Too often in the United States, crime against those with disabilities, especially mental disabilities, are swept under the carpet and ignored because conviction of such crimes is in short, too difficult to sort out and made to seem unimportant because they are just mentally retarded people, right? For those who persist in gaining a conviction and balancing the scales of justice, often a “diet conviction” is given to offenders. Part of the problem in convicting such offenders has to deal more with the victims being competent enough to withstand trial as opposed to focusing on the wrong doing. However, while society and advocates for ending the silence about abuse and neglect upon individuals with disabilities cannot change the course of the current crime rates, Dr. Diane Nelson Bryen, in her presentation, “Ending the Silence: Abuse and Neglect (Protection and Advocacy),” suggests ways in which the disabled and not disabled can prevent abuse and neglect from happening to them. Some of which include teaching them to say no and sex education.
Simple as it seems, teaching a disabled person to say no and discussing sex education can make a difference in who will avoid traumatic situations, but also, who will gain justice if treated unfairly. However, one particular portion of Dr. Bryen’s presentation that caught my full and undivided attention was when she spoke about those who have communicative disabilities (I spoke about this in my last blog). According to Dr. Bryen, one of the communicative tools available on the market is a tool called the Pathfinder. This particular tool is one of the best communicative tools and possibly most expensive. While this tool has 14 different words for pasta, there is no word or graphic symbol for rape or sex, at least not in the standard additions. It seems, and I’m just passing a judgment here, that the technology that is supposed to enable communication disabled individuals is reinforcing society’s general attitude towards the disabled society and rape: sweep it under the rug. Further, if this communicative tool is their only means of successful communication, how can the disabled learn about such concepts if in there electronic vocabulary, sex is not a word? I believe that communicative tools should come equipped and education should be dispensed. As a future high school teacher, I know students are required to take a year of health and sex education. This health and sex education should be inclusive for individuals with disabilities. Often in this class, students learn some ways in which to say no to sex or to defend themselves from sexually aggressive behavior. The same should be done in public schools for those who are disabled and teachers should be ready to teach such techniques. A part of our jobs as educators is to provide a sense of safety for all students.
Bryen, Diane N. "Ending the Silence: Abuse and Neglect (Protection and Advocacy)." Special Lecture Series. University of Guam, Mangilao. 24 Oct. 2008.