Media Coverage of the Murder of People with Disabilities by their Caregivers

https://goo.gl/PxAf6a

Approximately once a week, a person with a disability is murdered by a family member or caregiver. We have found that when these murders are covered, they are often called “mercy killings” which perpetuates the stigma and myth that the life of a person with a disability is not worth living and that it is a kind deed to end such a life. Such coverage simply must stop. It is dehumanizing and dangerously continues to stigmatize disability. We’ve found that the voices of the victims are nearly always erased to favor the perspectives of the perpetrators. This too must stop.

In this White Paper, we offer insight into a difficult phenomenon and offer resources and best practices to stop the stigmatization of disability.