(Trigger warning: descriptions of murder and abuse to people with disabilities)
India Martin was four when her body was found in a drawer. News reports said she was disabled, born addicted to cocaine. Her mother and the woman’s boyfriend are charged with the girl’s killing last May in South Carolina.
Vincent Avellino was 83 when he died from neglect. Police say his wife left him sitting in a wheelchair for over a month in their Pennsylvania home–a bedsore eventually killing him.
Sayeed Neilson was 14 when his stepbrother beat him to death. Neilson had autism. They lived in Tennessee.
All three are among 80 deceased people with disabilities around the world who were murdered outright or left to die–often at the hands of family–in the last year. And they are being honored March 1 at Disability Day of Mourning vigils around the world. Many will be held virtually.
The Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) are among the organizations hosting events, which honor people with a range of disabilities, not just autism. ASAN compiles and shares accounts of these deaths because public health officials and researchers don’t.
“We read the victims’ names, see their photographs, and gather what information we can about their lives,” says ASAN.
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That’s meaningful because when people with disabilities are killed by family and caregivers, news reports often focus on what led perpetrators to commit such violence. Coverage tends to omit information about the victims. The Ruderman Family Foundation, which has studied news accounts of the murders of people with disabilities, says the lack of attention to victims’ lives can lead to more violence against people with disabilities.
One of those participating in a vigil in the Pittsburgh area is James Shirley. He has autism. And he’s been so moved by the Disability Days of Mourning he’s joined in past years that he wants to create a film about the lives of people the events celebrate.
“Ultimately I’m hoping for a change in culture,” he says.
The film Shirley is developing is receiving educational support from the All-Abilities Media Project–a joint effort between the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University and Unabridged Press. The FISA Foundation is funding a portion of the documentary’s research and planning stages this year. If you’re able to financially support the film effort, the All-Abilities Media Project accepts donations from individuals and groups.
Finally, if you believe a person with a disability is in danger or being abused call:
Childline: 1-800-932-0313
Adult Protective Services: 1-800-490-8505
