On 18 October 2014, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner published “They still need to listen more” A report about disabled children and young people’s rights in England.
According to the research:
Some disabled children and young people live in fear of being bullied and attacked and when they report this to the police or teachers, they do not feel their concerns are taken seriously, … Some disabled children and young people are also anxious about cuts to benefits and worry about negative stereotypes. They believe that people underestimate and have low expectations of them, which affects their aspirations.…
The report makes recommendations based on the young researchers’ views. It recommends that more is done to tackle disability-related bullying, victimisation and abuse, and that teachers are properly trained to provide the support disabled children need at school. It also recommends that better support is provided to get disabled young people into work and that the Government leads a campaign to change negative societal attitudes toward them.
