How to Deal with Bullies if You Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Know what bullying is.

   Bullying is unwanted, cruel behavior towards another person that is repetitive.
   
   Bullies use a type of power to hurt others such as physical force, popularity, accessing your embarrassing information, etc.
   
   Both the bully and the victim can have emotional problems, but the victim can face many emotional or even physical scars, especially if the bullying isn't stopped.
2. 2

   Step 2: Understand verbal bullying.

   Verbal bullying is the most common type of bullying and it's used to hurt a person using their words in a negative way.
   
   A person who verbal bullies you might:
   Tease Name-call Put you down Threaten to hurt you or others Threaten to take away your belongings Make inappropriate sexual comments Make comments that make you feel hurt, even after told to stop , Physical bullying is a more violent type of bullying and uses physical force to harm or scare you.
   
   If someone physically bullies you they might do some of the following behaviors to you:
   Hit or punch Kick Trip or push Spit Take or break something that belongs to you Stalk or follow you Shove Make rude gestures to make fun of you , Sexual bullying can be both emotional or physical where your sexuality or gender is used against you in a hurtful way.
   
   The bully may make sexual comments, talk about you in a sexual manner that's rude, or touch you in ways that make you feel uncomfortable.
   
   Sexual bullying can also take form online.
   
   Some examples of sexual bullying include:
   Makes fun of your appearance in a sexual manner Pressures you to sext to others Sends nude photos of yourself to others Sexualized, abusive insults or name-calling Touches you in certain areas without your content Inappropriate sexual innuendo Gender stereotyping Sexual assault or rape, in extreme cases , Cyber bullying is when you are harassed, threatened, treated harshly, embarrassed, or humiliated online by another person.
   
   A person might verbally or sexually bully you.
   
   They could also humiliate you by sharing embarrassing or personal information to others, or even stalk what you do online.
   
   This type of behavior is just as hurtful and cruel, even if the messages are not said or done in real life. , Social bullying (also called relational bullying ) involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationship with others.
   
   A social bully may:
   Spread rumors about you Embarrass you in public purposely Tell others not to communicate with you Tell others not to be friends with you Leave you out on purpose , Racist bullying is unfaithfully judging someone by who they are and is actually considered illegal in most countries.
   
   While a lot of people think it has to do with others judging the color of your skin, racist bullies may also judge you by your culture, religion, race, disability or disabilities, LGBT+ status, family background, or beliefs about a certain topic You may be treated poorly, be made fun of, and even get physically hurt by a racist bully.
   
   A racist bully might also:
   Call you names that are considered racist Make fun of who are you Tease and name-call you around others Laugh, point, and make rude gestures in front of you Stalk and chase you Make threats to harm you , If someone verbally attacks you, make it clear that it really hurts and bothers you.
   
   While you may be tempted to let it slide and ignore it, it's important to stand up for yourself and be assertive on how you feel.
   
   Sometimes bullies don't even realize their words bother you.
   
   Explain how you feel by using "I" communication, stating what and why their words irk you Do note this technique may not work for more serious types of bullying such as sexual or physical bullying.
   
   Some examples you might say to the bully: "Darlene, when you yell and make fun of me about my glasses, I feel hurt and harassed.
   
   I was born with a visual impairment and the glasses help me see slightly.
   
   Please stop making fun of me for who I am. "Telling me how I'll fail and flunk the semester tests makes me feel worried and frustrated, Jeff.
   
   I studied hard and will do fine.
   
   Please stop telling me that."
   
   A bully wants you to feel helpless and weak, and may make fun of you if you threaten to tell someone else about their actions.
   
   Truth is, telling someone about what's going on is an important way to get the bullying to stop.
   
   At school, you may want to talk to a teacher, school counselor or therapist, and/or principal.
   
   If you're at work, talking to your employee might be a good idea to get the harassment to stop.
   
   A trusted authoritative figure will take further steps to stop the bullying and find ways to end and prevent it.
   
   If the adult you've asked doesn't help stop the bullying, tell someone else.
   
   Find someone that will listen and help you.
   
   You do not deserve to be treated in a hurtful manner and there are people who are willing to support you.
   
   Explain clearly what the bully is doing towards you.
   
   You might need to explain the type of bullying the person is doing to you or others (e.g physically bullying, cyber bullying, sexual bullying, etc.).
   
   Use "I" communication about how you feel and state how the bullying effects you.
   
   For example, if Lily constantly name-calls you in front of others at soccer practice, you might tell your coach, "During practice, Lily will call me rude names like 'slut' or 'slow-poke'
   
   and then make fun of how I play because of my visual disability.
   
   I feel threatened and hurt when she treats me this way, and she's continuing to do it even after I told her that really angers me."
   
   Bullies usually avoid bothering people if they have a big group of support.
   
   Stick with your friends whenever possible, specifically during the hours where they bother you.
   
   A good friend may also stand up against if the bully does happen to bother you. , Consider tracking and writing down when, where, and who is bullying you.
   
   If there were multiple people bullying you, mention their names as well.
   
   This can be useful information to keep when you tell an authoritative figure about the bullying, or if you mention the bullying on a hotline or to the police.
   
   You can track the bullying by using a computer and printing out the information, or writing it down using a thick-tipped pen and bold-lined paper.
   
   Some examples of how you might want to organize your writing when you track: "July 19,
   2016. 2:34 PM.
   
   Lindsey pushed and slammed me against my locker in the hallway.
   
   She started to insult me and call me names, and threatened to take my white cane away." "September 2,
   2016. 8:35 AM.
   
   Richard started to yell and name-call me in front of the workplace meeting where everyone else was, and then threatened to beat me up for not knowing an answer to his question." "December 23,
   2016. 12:43 PM.
   
   Leah stole my lunch bag, crushed it, and started to harass me with her friends Olivia and Paul.
   
   Then she started to make fun of my Jewish beliefs and told me that no one in the school liked me. , If no one else helps or supports you, or if you're in immediate risk or danger, a hotline or bullying service provider might help keep you safe, and will allow you get the support you need to stop the bullying.
   
   When contacting a hotline, be sure to state about your visual disability as these can be useful information to help stop and prevent the bullying.
   
   Call 911 or your country's emergency service number:
   If you are at the risk of getting hurt or harmed physically or sexually, or if a crime has been done.
   
   Call a suicidal hotline:
   If you feel hopeless, think about suicide, and want to kill yourself.
   
   These hotlines are available 24/7 for suicidal thoughts and intentions.
   
   Call a bullying hotline:
   If you are being harmed and hurt in other ways, call a bullying hotline that is available in your country.
   
   Nearly all of them are available 24/7.
   
   Find the hotline in your country by looking up numbers such as here. , A lot of bullies may make fun of you because of your visual disability.
   
   This can make you feel rejected, crestfallen, angry, and may even lower your self-esteem.
   
   Connecting with the Blind and Visually Impaired community will help you understand that others have been in your place before with the same disability, and that you are important no matter who you are. , If the bully is very severe and starts to engage in a crime, police action might be needed to help stop the bullying.
   
   A police officer will usually talk to the bully and will determine if any charges are needed against the bully.
   
   When talking about the bully to the officer, explain clearly what the bully does to you and how long it's been going on for.
   
   This info is important for the police to keep track of so they can determine how to handle the situation. , Being bullied can make you feel down, upset, and emotionally tired.
   
   You'll most likely feel pretty negative about what's going on and may lose some of your self-esteem.
   
   Talking to others about how you feel can be comforting, by letting out how you feel about the bully and how it's effecting you.
   
   A good listener isn't there to advice or lecture you about the bully, they're there to comfort and support you. , Consider participating in a variety of club, communities, or groups that encourage your hobbies, interests, goals, and has others who are blind and visually impaired, too.
   
   Clubs and groups can keep your self-esteem up and will prevent you from soaking in the bully's hurtful acts. , Bullies might make you feel that nobody likes you and that the whole world hates you.
   
   The truth is, there are many good people in the world who are willing to accept you for you are, and are willing to be friends with you.
   
   Stick with people who support you and are there to lift you up when you're down so you don't feel upset over the bully's actions. , Consider creating a plan or route to avoid the bully from bothering you.
   
   Avoiding the bully will prevent them from hurting you and will keep you feeling safe and calm.
   
   Some examples of avoiding a bully include:
   At your workplace, you may want to ask your employee if you can work in another room to avoid interacting with the bully.
   
   At school, you may wish to eat your lunch outside on the bench rather than the cafeteria if that's where the bully bothers you. , If possible, try your best to ignore the bully, specifically verbal or cyber bullies.
   
   They usually want a reaction from you and responding back with snark, sarcasm, anger, or sadness gives them the reaction they're looking for.
   
   Eventually, they'll lose interest and stop bothering you.
   
   Try to distract yourself from their hurtful words and do an activity you like to do when the bully is not around, such as spending time with a friend, doing a hobby you enjoy, or taking a warm shower.
   
   If you are being cyber bullied, ignore any of the bully's messages.
   
   As untrue and hurtful they are, responding back gets the reaction a bully is looking for. , Try to stay around other people such as adults or other people your age to avoid the bully from bothering you.
   
   Usually a bully will avoid hurting you if other authoritative figures are around, or if you're with a large group of people. , Have a good password for each website you use and avoid sharing personal information or pictures on public websites.
   
   Bullies can use this to take an advantage of you, and may even hack your account if possible.
   
   Avoid giving out your passwords to anybody and always keep safe online. , Avoid all interaction with bully by blocking any social media accounts from them.
   
   You want to stay away from them as much as possible, so it's best to block and ignore the to avoid being bullied.
   
   If the person is cyber bullying you, you may wish to report the bully's behavior first before blocking.
   
   This lets another online admin handle and check the bully's message activity. , If the bully has not stopped even after all your attempts to stop the situation, it might be time to leave it.
   
   This may be as easy as dropping out of piano class to transferring to another school or job.
   
   Find a new location that's far away from where the bully is and live there.
3. 3

   Step 3: Know what physical bullying is.

4. 4

   Step 4: Acknowledge sexual bullying.

5. 5

   Step 5: Know what cyber bullying is.

6. 6

   Step 6: Understand social bullying.

7. 7

   Step 7: Understand racist bullying.

8. 8

   Step 8: Use assertive language and "I" communication.

9. 9

   Step 9: Talk to an authoritative figure.

10. 10

    Step 10: Stick with friends.

11. 11

    Step 11: Keep track of the bullying.

12. 12

    Step 12: Call a hotline.

13. 13

    Step 13: Meet the Blind and Visually Impaired community.

14. 14

    Step 14: Get police action

15. 15

    Step 15: if needed.

16. 16

    Step 16: Talk to a good listener.

17. 17

    Step 17: Join clubs and groups.

18. 18

    Step 18: Be around people who accept you.

19. 19

    Step 19: Avoid being around the bully.

20. 20

    Step 20: Ignore the bully

21. 21

    Step 21: if possible.

22. 22

    Step 22: Be around others.

23. 23

    Step 23: Keep your social media account info safe and secure.

24. 24

    Step 24: Block any social media accounts from the bully.

25. 25

    Step 25: As a last resort

26. 26

    Step 26: leave the situation.

Detailed Guide

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