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| National Technical Institute for the Deaf |
Folks with disabilities are often at a disadvantage, when their human rights are at stake. In California police tasered and beat a deaf man, not understanding, or taking the time to understand, the characteristics of the deaf that might lead to different behaviors.
Hawthorne, California police were reported to have beaten and tasered the deaf man. The man, Jonathan Meister, had signaled the police of his condition and that the snowboard he was carrying had been loaned to him. The deaf man has consequently filed suit in court, according to Courthouse News Service.
The news reports from various media sources have examined various facets of this case. One of the major concerns has to do with the humanitarian concerns related to the incident. It was reported that officers had confronted Meiser who was seen picking up a snowboard two days ago outside the home of a friend. The claim is officers did not pay attention to the signaling of the deaf man and his gestures and instead used aggressive tactics to intervene.
As a corollary to this incident, ARC, the Association for Retarded Citizens, observes people with disabilities are more often than others to be misunderstood or become victims of violent crimes. The onus of learning how to make the appropriate response to people with special needs is underlined as being upon those who are in authority positions, especially in the criminal justice system, which includes police.
