Most parents who abuse or kill their children believe that their violence is justified, often citing compassion. Children with disabilities are at least twice as likely to be victims of violence than other children. The relative risk increases with age. Research suggests that crimes against people with disabilities already result in fewer convictions and lighter sentences, whether or not compassion is a factor. Some American states already have added disability as a victim category under Hate Crime legislation, requiring increased sentences when crimes are committed against an individual because of their disability.
Violence is one of the most common causes of disability.
Research suggests that violence causes more childhood disability than genetic causes or auto accidents. In most cases the cause goes undiscovered. The duration of disability was positively related with acceptance of disability in persons with spinal cord injury-related paralysis. Interviews and tests administered to 133 persons with severe mobility disabilities revealed no differences between them and the nondisabled norm on psychosocial measures. In a study of life satisfaction of quadriplegics, fewer than a third of those who used ventilators expressed dissatisfaction with their lives.