Bullying and children with disability

He was 8 when he lost his mother to cancer. He was struggling emotionally and physically with muscular dystrophy, a lifetime disease that was slowly destroying his muscles and may one day leave him paralyzed. While others his age were full tilt into recreational sports, group activities or playing videos at home, he was having to do daily walks to exercise his muscles to keep them working for him. Then he made the front page news of the day earlier this month because he, Mitchell, decided to end his life. He was all of 11 years old.
In the story about Mitchell's death published in the Toronto Star, his father noted that his son's suicide was not directly caused by a particularly traumatic and horrific bullying incident that Mitchell fell victim to. Here's a clip from the article on the incident:
"And last November, while on one of his prescribed daily walks, Mitchell was jumped by a 12-year-old boy he knew from his elementary school in Pickering. The older child, who was after the iPhone Mitchell borrowed from his father to listen to music while he walked, smashed Mitchell’s face into the pavement so hard he broke some of the boy’s teeth.
The attack, Mitchell’s parents say, led their son on a downward spiral which culminated in his suicide earlier this month." Read the article at this link: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1059479--disabled-pickering-boy-took-his-own-life-after-he-was-mugged-and-bullied?bn=1
The details of the incident is so heartwrenching and completely overwhelming to me, an adult. It evoked such fear that such incidents are possible. One goes out for a simple walk and get beaten up for something one had on his/her person. Just like Mitchell, who his father said, became fearful of going for his badly needed exercise or of having to return to school after summer, I would be, too, had I suffered such a vicious attack. What is even for frightening is what they have to say about the extent of bullying incidents that target children with special needs or disabilities like Mitchell. If it can happen to Mitchell, the chances of a bullying incident happening to yours is not that far off. Here, take a look at the article below to get an idea of what bullying looks like, where and who it can strike, and what we can do to help our children with special needs prepare for those situations:
http://www.abilitypath.org/areas-of-development/learning--schools/bullying/articles/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes.pdf