Teach it and Live it.

I work with the Special Education population and I love it.  Is is challenging sometimes? Yes But any job has its difficulties.  Today I experienced something that pushed me beyond being furious.  It is difficult to make me upset quickly.  Today broke that rule. 
I have a student who is physically handicapped but cognitively perfect. Often times students with obvious disabilities(or as I like to say exceptionalities)  will display behavior issues as well. BUT they are often trying to distract from their exceptionality.  This particular student has a very smart mouth and often does not know when to stop talking.  On occasion I have seen him make fun of other students which is never acceptable regardless of the situation.  Today this student was talking in the hallway and walking between others with his walker without saying excuse me.  A para-educator called him out in front of me and other students and said. "You sure do have a big mouth to be handicapped.  You can't even go to the bathroom by yourself and you are going to treat others like that? Boy, you have to have other people help you with everything you do noone is going to help you if you keep being rude."
My jaw was on the floor. 
I immediately pulled the child aside and reassured him that that was not the case at all. 
I do not understand how his exceptionality had ANYTHING to do with his actions.  There were plenty other students who were acting in the same manner but they were allowed to continue to do so with no reprimand of any kind.  I was physically sick over this situation.  Why do people in this world feel that it is okay to say such things.  A brilliant professor of mine had this posted on her Facebook today:
"Angry and very sad. Today I was painfully reminded once again of how very early poor African American black boys are criminalized and segregated for emotional/behavioral/anger issues in our school system when they have no one to advocate for them.. A stark reminder of how race/gender/class intersect with mental illness/disability and how in my friend C. Bell's words - you do get run over in the intersections"
It is a painful reality but we CAN do something about this.   Why are we not providing a better life and a hopeful future for these students?
Freedom Writers may be a bit cliche BUT that is the reality.  You have to gain trust and LOVE students into Learning.  Obviously fear and force is not the answer for these students why can we not see that?