1.05% of the student population, 1.7% of the resident population (ages 18-49) and a shocking 6.65% of the aged population (ages 50 and above) have intellectual disabilities. Because Singapore is so competitive and fast-paced, the mentally ill may be viewed as “lazy” and not trying hard enough (Yang, 2014), extending to the intellectually disabled. This derisive attitude forms the basis for social stigma. The intellectually disabled are considered liabilities in an ever-changing world, a burden to others because they are perceived as being unable to work with others properly and lacking in problem-solving skills – “key 21st century competencies”.
One negative impact of this stigma is that the intellectually disabled are deprived of opportunities as compared to people who are not intellectually disabled. Such opportunities range from education opportunities to potential jobs, and the stigma against the intellectually disabled creates a climate of social fear – that they have fewer opportunities than other people. Despite the government’s efforts to promote inclusivity, the fact remains that employers and the like are looking for top performers, and hold on to the outdated notion that the intellectually disabled are necessarily inferior performers compared to others. For example, Sandra Hargreaves of the London Metropolitan University states that many young dyslexic people do not wish to disclose their disability as it causes them to face pressure at work or in education (Hargreaves, n.d.). This shows us how pervasive this attitude is in society, to a point where the intellectually disabled themselves feel it is necessary to cover up their disability in order to be viewed and treated the same way as everyone else. In addition, the case of a boy being rejected from a Yamaha music school due to his autism (Lam, 2017) further illustrates the extent to which people with intellectual disabilities are denied equal opportunities.
The second is that there is increased burden on caregivers of the intellectually disabled. Caregivers face great difficulty in aiding the intellectually disabled, as they might stir up mischief unknowingly and seem a public nuisance. Caregivers must constantly monitor them and ensure their safety, placing much stress on them, taking up lots of of time and effort. As Madam Wong Ngan Yue, a mother of two autistic brothers, says in a The New Paper article: “Caring for two autistic children is very stressful.” (Soh, 2016) Yet, caregivers often suffer a lack of support due to the stigma surrounding the intellectually disabled, resulting in an increased burden. This makes their task of caring for their charge even harder, since society views them negatively and is thus disinclined to help them. Social stigma makes people dismissive and biased against the intellectually disabled, precisely what the caregivers do not want. Surrounded by an uncompassionate society and loaded with the day-to-day mental and physical load of taking care of the intellectually disabled wears caregivers out quickly. In fact, a Lien Foundation survey report reads: “Less than half of parents of children with special needs surveyed felt their kids in preschools were adequately supported by teachers, curriculum & facilities” (Lien Foundation, 2016). In a news article, Mr Peter Tay, father to an autistic child, says of society’s attitude towards the intellectually disabled: “Singapore is an extremely unforgiving country.” (Neo, 2017) This shows us caregivers face the problem of not having enough support, even in nurturing the intellectually disabled during their formative years – a very important time, especially for intervention. This illustrates the increased burden – being inadequately supported results in additional stress on caregivers.
One reason why there is a social stigma surrounding the intellectually disabled is because people are familiarized with visual disabilities such as physical disability due to more handicap-friendly facilities present in public areas such as ramps for wheelchair-bound people, creating greater acceptance towards visible disabilities. This creates a stereotype that all disability should be visible and distinct, which may not be the case for intellectual disability, thus the stigma towards the intellectually disabled. The intellectually disabled may show no physical signs of such disability until their intellect or adaptive skills are tested, which surprises many people as they are more comfortable with visually disabled people than people who have non-visible disabilities such as intellectual disability. As pointed out in this article, people often think of physical disability when considering the disabled, and give those with “invisible” disabilities less consideration because their disabilities are less apparent (Kok, 2016). It can be seen that this is one reason for the stigmatised state of the intellectually disabled, who suffer from an “invisible” disabilities.
Another key reason for this stigma is a lack of awareness surrounding intellectual disabilities, creating misunderstanding and insensitivity towards these disabled. Many people do not understand the symptoms and prevalence of intellectual disabilities. Instead, they assume people who exhibit unnatural behaviour are dangerous, leading to fear and overreaction. This nurtures a hostile environment where the intellectually disabled are rejected and stigmatised. As a recent incident involving an autistic youth indicates, there is a distinct lack of understanding of people with intellectual disabilities. His mother claimed his confrontation with the police after he touched car door handles “escalated [the] situation” (Koh, 2016). If society had been more understanding, they would not have reacted in a manner that exacerbated the situation. However, this indicates people are not sensitive to the needs and actions of the intellectually disabled, instead responding with fear which might result in greater distrust and conflict, thus causing stereotypes and the stigma against the intellectually disabled to form.
One possible way to reduce the stigma attached to intellectual disability is to make schools hold special hands-on activities during awareness days, to raise awareness about these disabilities among students. There are events to raise awareness during certain awareness day such as the Light It Up Blue campaign during World Autism Awareness Day (Tai, 2016). However, we must directly involve students in such events. There is a lack of hands-on activities that students are made to participate in to raise their awareness more effectively - many schools adopt a top-down approach such as giving lessons on how the intellectually disabled suffer in society. This is very detached and does not create empathy. Schools can consider methods that force students to be physically reminded of intellectual disability. For instance, Delawareonline.com claims an American middle school had students wear mismatched socks to commemorate World Down Syndrome Awareness Day (Wilson, 2016). To achieve this, the Government should actively promote such programmes, by inviting principals to dialogues whenever an awareness day is coming so schools can plan activities together, resulting in increased coordination. Activities should be mandatory but interesting enough for students to enjoy them while still learning. The Government should subsidise the cost of these activities. This strategy helps to create a deeper impression on students as to how intellectually disabled people face challenges in life and hence reduce stigma better than a typical Powerpoint lesson, but is logistically heavier and may lose its impact if done too often. Hence while this strategy is effective, it must be used sparingly.
Another possible strategy to deal with this issue of stigma against those with intellectual disabilities would be to implement anti-discrimination laws in order to prevent these people suffering from intellectual disabilities from facing discrimination, or receiving different treatment than someone without a disability, in the workplace. Such laws could prevent employers denying opportunities or chances to those who are suffering from intellectual disabilities in the workplace on the basis of their disability, ensuring that they have a platform to showcase their talent and be given equal opportunities to others. This strategy is already prevalent in countries such as Australia, however its presence in Southeast Asia is limited. If this law is indeed implemented in Singapore, the working intellectually disabled persons will be able to an environment with less discrimination similar to what their Australian counterparts experience, drastically improving the quality of their life and working experience. This in turn helps dispel the myth that the intellectually disabled are necessarily less productive, reducing social stigma. However, there must also be limits to the extent of their protection to prevent misuse of this law. For instance, we cannot let the intellectually disabled complain against a company for refusing to hire him/her for any reason and claiming that that reason is in fact his/her disability. Enforcing this, however, is based on interpretations of a given situation and will be enforced by the judiciary, e.g. courts. As such, there will be complications arising from this law and it will be limited in effectiveness, but it is still a step forward in reducing the social stigma that intellectually disabled people face.
References
Hargreaves, S. (n.d.). Adult dyslexia in Singapore. Retrieved from http://reta.sg/news-and-articles/guest-articles/item/20-guest-article-adult-dyslexia-in-singapore
Koh, V. (2016, May 9). Autistic youth’s mother urges greater understanding of people with special needs. Today. Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/autistic-youths-mother-urges-greater-understanding-people-special-needs
Kok, X. H. (2016, May 8). Living with disabilities that are not visible. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/living-with-disabilities-that-are-not-visible
Lam, L. (2017, August 15). Yamaha Contempo Music School apologises for cancelling flute lesson because of boy's autism. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/yamaha-contempo-music-school-apologises-for-cancelling-flute-lesson-because-of-boys-autism
Lien Foundation. (2016, July 4). Inclusive attitudes survey part 2: Less than half of parents with children with special needs say their children receive enough support in preschool. Retrieved from http://lienfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Inclusive%20Survey%20Part%202%20-%20Press%20Release%20Lien%20Fdn%20Final%5B1%5D.pdf
Neo, X. (2017, June 19). My special girl: A father shares his journey as caregiver to special needs daughter. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/my-special-girl
Soh, Z. (2016, May 15). Mother of autistic adults: 'I worry that my sons might get into trouble with the public'. The New Paper. Retrieved from http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/mother-autistic-adults-i-worry-my-sons-might-get-trouble-public
Tai, J. (2016, April 10). Singapore icons glow blue to raise awareness of autism. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/singapore-icons-glow-blue-to-raise-awareness-of-autism
Wilson, X. (2016, February 27). Students to rock their socks for Down syndrome day. The News Journal. Retrieved from http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2016/02/27/hundreds-prepare-world-down-syndrome-awareness-day/81051466/
Yang, J. (2014, May 1). Let’s end stigma of mental illness. Today. Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lets-end-stigma-mental-illness
