How To Properly Communicate About Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

By Daphne Bowen


Words, written or spoken, can affect a person tremendously. Like all individuals with intellectual disabilities, can also be hurt and affected by the way we talk about them. Most of the time though, we are careless on how we address topics that are unfamiliar to us.

To clarify, intellectual disability is different from mental illness. Intellectual disability is to have poor scholarly capacity joined with impedance in adjusting to the ordinary social environment. Reasons may incorporate brain damage or hindered advancement as a youngster. Mental illness happens regularly amid pre-adulthood, generally during critical moments of a person's life. Persons with Mental illness even have excellent scholastic record and may lead a seemingly ordinary life.

Education is very vital when talking about people who are intellectually challenged. If it's truly the desire of your heart to uplift and protect the morale of those who fall within the bracket of this vulnerable group, there are so many ways that can be done. This write-up isn't just for journalists, but for those with access to to the social media as well or those with the ability to converse with others. Yes! Everyone. Here are some points worth noting if you want to be able to communicate with people with intellectual disabilities.

When writing or talking about these people, try not to use words like: "insane, abnormal, mentally ill, retarded" or any other phrases that sound similar to the ones mentioned. Ones someone is called retarded, he or she is normally taken to be a burden or nuisance. This is not true because a lot of people who have intellectual challenges, try their possible best to perform well in school.

Adults and children with intellectual disabilities are not the same. They're still in a different area and must be treated respectfully as such. When a journalist is writing an article about an intellectually challenged adult, he must use the full name of that individual such as John Doe instead of just using John.

An existence of a mentally challenge individual is generally seen or depicted as excessively sensational, melancholic and brimming with affliction particularly from the family's point of view. Numerous families don't experience this. Intellectually disabled persons have a consistent positive association with their families and guardians.

Only a small percentage of people in your community knows a family with an intellectually challenged person or even the person himself. Writers and social media users have the responsibility to enlighten people and portray these individuals participating in every facet of life - at home, at work, simply being part of the crowd. Placing them or associating them with hospitals does not help improving their image.

Avoid the terms "victim of", "suffering from", or "unfortunate" when creating write ups about them or talking about them in public. Firstly, because intellectual disability is not a kind of sickness. Secondly, the negative connotation is only how people see them not how those victims see themselves.

All the points enumerated above can be very limiting. However, it is important that more articles are written about them. They usually tend to reflect how society look at them: neglected. So, in order to make their spirit come alive, it is best to write about them more in a positive and encouraging manner.




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