Abstract
This chapter presents the results of a study that examined the voices of people with intellectual disability regarding their experience of stigma and self-stigma. The study employed a partial participatory research approach by including people with intellectual disabilities as consultants in the study design. Data was collected via semi-structured focus groups conducted within self-advocacy groups (SAGs) for people with intellectual disabilities. Findings showed that people with intellectual disabilities experience stigma and respond with avoidance, frustration, pain, and sadness. Five themes were identified: emotional impact of stigma, not understanding why stigma occurs and is directed toward them, confusion in self-concept and identity, ignoring as a default response to stigma, and the opportunity provided by self-advocacy.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the participants for taking part in this study and for teaching us so much about their lives. We clearly felt the difficulties, pain, and discomfort they experience in most walks of life and the great challenges they face in talking about these. They have taught us the importance of self-advocacy to empower them and enable them to develop skills to make changes in their lives.
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Roth, D., Peretz, H., Barak, D. (2016). How Stigma Affects Us: The Voice of Self-advocates. In: Scior, K., Werner, S. (eds) Intellectual Disability and Stigma. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52499-7_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52499-7_4
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