Self-perceotion of people with intelectual disability about disability, stigma and prejudice

Abstract

This study, which is part of the research “Talking about oneself: studies about self-perception and life histories of people with intellectual disability” aims to understand how people with intellectual disability feel about stigma, prejudice and the knowledge of their disability. It is a qualitative research, based on a survey of scientific productions about self-perception of people with intellectual disability. From the sample were selected five texts and from the registered speeches of the subjects were highlighted the categories: stigma, disability and prejudice. The results indicate that the studies that deal with self-perception of people with intellectual disability are still relatively scarce. Furthermore, they present very few excerpts of the subjects´ words during the interviews. Regarding stigma, the subjects report that other people have low expectations about their potential, which exemplifies the fragility mark constructed by the disability stereotype. However, the narratives show these subjects resistance in accepting the label that was given. It is notorious the socially produced iscourse about disability, but they develop different strategies to deal with the stereotype. The reports about their social relations, in the majority of the cases, point to prejudice, segregation and hostile treatment, but there are also examples of acceptance and respect. The speeches analyzed represent a clue that gradually these people are placing themselves as protagonists of their own lives, and point to the need of more researches that focus and legitimize the voices of people with intellectual disability.