Bullying continues to be a concern in the field of education among school aged students, including individuals with disabilities. The areas of exploration in this basic qualitative study were the characterizations used by students, the ways in which they perceive and experience bullying, and ways in which they react to social situations. Social cognitive theory and social ecological theory guided this phenomenological study of bullying, which sought to gain the essence of bullying from the perspectives of middle school students with disabilities in the general education inclusive setting. The study was conducted at a large public school district in Chicago, IL, through semi-structured interviews with eight middle school students with disabilities, and three middle school general education teachers, as well as a classroom observation. Findings revealed how students use their own language to define bullying, with both common and uncommon meanings from the established classification. Evidence from middle school teachers also suggests that students with disabilities may be perceiving and experiencing social situations differently than peers, which may make them quick to identify themselves as victims. This in turn could cause misinterpretation or mislabeling of social situations. Implications include ongoing teacher education in addressing reports of bullying, social skill instruction, and future research into the area of cyberbullying. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]