From the Associated Press, Reuters video:

Palestinian police say that a son and daughter with intellectual disabilities were locked away by their parents for decades to avoid the stigma of disability in Palestinian society and to protect the marriage prospects of a healthy sibling.

Authorities said the case highlighted the plight of people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems in a society where supports are not provided and the subject is often taboo.

Police said the pair were found locked in concrete rooms that reeked of sweat and urine.

From the AP/Omaha World-Herald, UPI:

Nebraska’s new “safe haven” law allows parents to abandon unwanted children up to the age of 19 at hospitals with no questions asked.

While lawmakers may not have intended it, the month-old law raises the possibility that frustrated parents could drop off misbehaving teens or even severely disabled older children with impunity.

Safe haven laws in other states permit the abandonment of newborns, but Nebraska’s measure extends to all minors. Lawmakers said the law was intended to prevent child abuse.

Writing in the [UK] Guardian, David Tolleson says the movie “Tropic Thunder” sends the harmful message to millions of moviegoers that discrimination against people with disabilities is socially acceptable.

For a population that has been subject to millennia of discrimination and abuse, even to the point of death, it is a major setback, courtesy of Hollywood.

Unfortunately, the damage doesn’t end with the frequent use of the word “retard” and the shockingly awful images of Simple Jack. More troubling is a segment of the film involving Stiller and Matthew McConaughey. When Stiller’s character says he wants to adopt a child, McConaughey looks at a photo of himself with his arm around a boy vacantly staring into space — clearly meant to have an intellectual disability — and says: “At least you get to choose yours. I’m stuck with mine.”

The message is clear — avoid having a child with a disability at all costs. For parents worried about bringing a child with a disability into a world where they may be taunted, or worse, Tropic Thunder may provide one more reason to terminate a pregnancy. Sad for many reasons, but particularly since studies show that overwhelmingly parents and siblings of individuals with disabilities actually rate the experience of having a loved one with special needs very positively.

… we still have work to do before widespread discrimination ends and all people are valued for the diverse and wonderful attributes they bring to our world.

Tolleson is the executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

See also:

• Why is Ohio retarded but Connecticut isn’t? — Kim Stagliano, Huffington Post
• Going full insensitive: Movie’s humor is flawed by careless insensitivity – Winston-Salem [NC] Journal
• Plot no excuse for taking potshots— Tamara Dietrich, Newport News [VA] Daily Press
• Letter: A heightened awareness of how a word can hurt — Chicago Tribune
• Letter: Special people don’t need hurtful words – Quincy [MA] Patriot-Ledger
• Letters: Bid to ban use of ‘r-word’ — Houston Chronicle

Associated Press in the Houston Chronicle:

The federal Department of Justice has notified the state of Texas that it is investigating the state’s institutions to determine whether residents’ civil rights are being violated.

Texas houses some 5,000 people with intellectual and other disabilities in 13 large institutions, called state schools or centers. Public records of the institutions have shown more than 450 incidents of verified abuse or neglect in fiscal year 2007.

An analysis of state records by the Associated Press this year found that more than 800 employees of the institutions had been suspended or fired for abusing patients since 2004.

A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services said today that the state will cooperate with the investigation.

From the [Willmar, Minnesota] West Central Tribune, AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press:

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing a Minnesota special education teacher of mistreating an elementary school student with disabilities through the use of excessive physical restraints and a locked timeout room. The court found that the actions were reasonable, and were not a substantial departure from accepted professional practice.

An earlier investigation by the Minnesota Department of Education found numerous violations of state and federal special education laws in the teacher’s treatment of the student and in her documentation of incidents in her classroom.

A lawyer for Jackie Nelson, the girl’s mother, said she plans to file an appeal.

Writing in the [UK] Guardian, Peter V. Berns says the portrayal of a person with an intellectual disability in the film “Tropic Thunder” is offensive and shouldn’t be tolerated.

He says the use of the word “retard” and other insulting language in the film could spark abuse, bullying and violence against people with intellectual disabilities. An excerpt:

The oppressive power of these words has deep resonance for individuals with intellectual disabilities and for the disability rights movement. In the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, the use of the R-word in this film represents a serious setback. The portrayal of this character sends a clear message to the audience that the lives of people with intellectual disabilities are worth less and that it is acceptable to degrade and dehumanise them.

The history of people with intellectual disabilities in the U.S. evokes a dark time when these individuals suffered institutionalization, forced sterilization, segregation and other abuses. While the U.S. has made monumental strides toward including people with disabilities in the community, further progress will only be made if we speak out against bigotry, mistreatment and disrespect wherever we see it.

… We invite our colleagues in the disability rights movement, worldwide, to stand together and work to educate, inform and inspire people of conscience. Critics may try to dismiss our criticism as just some kind of politically correct talk, but that rejoinder is far too simplistic in the face of the suffering people with intellectual disabilities have experienced in their lives and throughout history. Individuals with disabilities should enjoy human rights on an equal basis with others without stigmatization, discrimination or prejudice. It is they who define themselves.

Peter V. Berns is the executive director of The Arc of the United States, the world’s largest community-based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

From the New York Times:

Pediatrician Melvin D. Levine, author of the bestseller “A Mind at a Time” and other books about children with learning disabilities, has been accused of sexually abusing boys in his care. While there are no criminal charges against Levine, left, five lawsuits have been brought and accusations have been made on behalf of another 43 male patients.

Dr. Levine vehemently denies both the accusations and ever sexually touching a patient. He declined to be interviewed for the Times article, which recounts the chronology of the accusations and interviews an accuser who asks that his name not be published.