Addressing Stigma Against People with Intellectual Disabilities

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By Nyasha N’onzwe and Edmore Masendeke

black woman with braided hair wearing white cardican, light brown jucket and black face mask. her right hand is raised, open palm facing forward. The words "Stop the Stigma" are written on the left side of the picture.

While it seems to have often gone unchecked, stigma against people with intellectual disabilities can be addressed through several initiates.

About 1-2% of the world’s population has an intellectual disability.

An intellectual disability is a term used when a person has certain limitations in cognitive functioning and adaptive skills, including communication, social and self-care skills.

People with intellectual disabilities oftentimes have some forms of behavioral disorders. Some people with intellectual disabilities have difficult or disruptive behaviors. Some of them are aggressive toward other people. Others have behaviors that lead to injury to oneself or others or the destruction of property.

These behavioral disorders are one of the common causes of stigma against people with intellectual disabilities. For example, some African communities associate the behavioral disorders of people with intellectual disability with witchcraft and avenging spirits. Such communities shun people with intellectual disabilities and their families and exclude them from community-based activities.

There are also people who just fear or lack awareness of people with intellectual disabilities. Some people believe that people with intellectual disabilities are unpredictable – their behavior can change at any time – so they are afraid of them. This can be a result of their own or others’ past experience(s), what they have heard about people with intellectual disabilities or knowing nothing about people with intellectual disabilities. Yes, there are people who know nothing about people with intellectual disabilities. And they tend to fear people with intellectual disabilities.

Stigma against people with intellectual disabilities often has negative consequences. It can result in them facing hate crimes, having fewer opportunities to participate in productive and community-based activities, as well as a decreased ability to access appropriate services, such as healthcare.

While it seems to have often gone unchecked, stigma against people with intellectual disabilities can be addressed through several initiates. A starting point could be expanding and increasing efforts to raise awareness of intellectual disability to all sectors of society. This can be strengthened by involving people with intellectual disabilities and their families in any raising awareness programs activities so that they can tell people about their experiences of stigma and how they would like to be treated by society. More work can also be done around ensuring adequate service provision for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. In addition, there is a need to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in community-based activities. This is the most powerful way of addressing stigma against people with intellectual disabilities.

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© Endless Possibilities, 2022.

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