Learning Through Unlearning – Removing the Stigma around IDDs

Often in life, we tend to take the little things that we have the ability to do for granted, and more often than not, we tend to ignore the difficulties that others might be facing due to a place of privilege that we ourselves live in. If you have always lived in an environment that is protected and perfect, it becomes hard to empathize or even sympathize with the troubles that exist in other people’s lives unless you come face to face with them.

Due to the various stereotypes and biases we grow up with in regard to intellectual developmental disabilities, people living with these challenges are struggling to overcome them every single day. This is due to the fact that they have been tagged as the “Other” by society. In this respect, the “other” is used to define an entity that is separate from us and marginalized or looked down upon as a minority. This alienation is due to a lack of actual interaction, misrepresentation or underrepresentation in media, lack of information, and simple ignorance or obliviousness.

We are so happy and content to be living in our own bubble that we forget to look outside it and be sensitive to those around us who are not one hundred percent like us. People with IDDs such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Down’s syndrome, among others, are often looked down upon and thought of as incapable individuals who do not possess the ability to be independent or self-sufficient. However, it is important to remember that each individual is different and the worst thing that could be done is a general categorization without looking into their particular abilities or needs.

In order to recognize the biases and stereotypes that exist within us, it is important to first be aware of them and then work towards unlearning and changing them. The stigma that exists around intellectual disabilities often just stands to prove that such individuals are completely disabled – mentally and physically. However, it is important to understand that the severity of an IDD can differ from one case to another and that a majority of people with IDDs, with the right amount of help and support, can be self-sufficient and manage to live a fulfilling life.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to interview a spectacular individual called Palak Vaidya. Palak is a 27-year-old girl who was born with Down’s syndrome, which is a genetic chromosome 21 disorder causing developmental and intellectual delays. Due to her parents being doctors, it was timely detected and early intervention was possible. Today, Palak is a highly motivated, cheerful, and energetic individual who loves interacting with others and works with her parents in their hospital after having completed her degree in hospital management.

Like any other individual, Palak is extremely self-sufficient and keeps herself busy with her hobbies such as baking, dancing, traveling, etc. Her friends and family made sure to make her feel included in every little step towards her development and never treated her as an “other”. She went to an inclusive school where everyone was extremely helpful and dedicated to making Palak feel comfortable without powering over her or undermining her abilities.

Talking to Palak’s family and to Palak herself made me realize the importance of inclusivity in society and having an inclusive home. Inclusivity only becomes possible when stigma is removed from society and biases are unlearnt. What Palak has been able to achieve in life to date and still continues to is much more than even an average “normal” individual would be able to do. If she has made peace with her IDD and has found a way to accept it and live with it, who are we to judge her for it or discriminate against her on the basis of it?

It is true that the unknown is scary to the human mind and we start to be afraid of or despise what is not known to us. In a similar way, the lack of knowledge about IDDs leads us to stigmatize them and enforce the false beliefs that already exist about them in society. A change in behavior and attitudes towards IDDs can only take place when these false beliefs and patterns of thinking are rectified.

By Bani Kohli