People with an intellectual or developmental disability are one of the most socially excluded groups and encounter stigma, prejudice and barriers that restrict their freedom and rights. The general public has hidden biases and assumptions that discriminate those with intellectual and developmental disabilities more than any other disability that can alter the way they would like to live their lives. Since those with developmental disabilities have behaviours that are seen as ‘different’, they are labeled as abnormal or conceivably dangerous, which makes it easier for others to discriminate them. When people think of individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability, they often suggest negative characteristics such as having poor
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Maintaining employment is often difficult for persons with developmental disabilities. They are greatly underrepresented in today’s current workforce despite their desire to be economically independent (Nord et al., 2013). According to Crawford (2011), “their earnings are lower than others with disabilities and about half the earnings of people without disabilities […] and the vast majority of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are in low-income households” (p.21). Even if those with intellectual or developmental disabilities may be interested in being a part of the workforce, they may feel discouraged from seeking employment due to inaccessible information about available jobs, possible discrimination from employers and coworkers, or inadequate accommodations and training. Those with disabilities are then forced to believe that they are not ‘good’ enough to work which then can lead to lower self esteem and self worth. Studies done by Ali et al. (2013) suggest that the public’s understanding of the label ‘intellectual and developmental disability’ is limited across different cultures, and that negative attitudes are associated with misunderstandings about the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities (pp.
Maintaining employment is often difficult for persons with developmental disabilities. They are greatly underrepresented in today’s current workforce despite their desire to be economically independent (Nord et al., 2013). According to Crawford (2011), “their earnings are lower than others with disabilities and about half the earnings of people without disabilities […] and the vast majority of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are in low-income households” (p.21). Even if those with intellectual or developmental disabilities may be interested in being a part of the workforce, they may feel discouraged from seeking employment due to inaccessible information about available jobs, possible discrimination from employers and coworkers, or inadequate accommodations and training. Those with disabilities are then forced to believe that they are not ‘good’ enough to work which then can lead to lower self esteem and self worth. Studies done by Ali et al. (2013) suggest that the public’s understanding of the label ‘intellectual and developmental disability’ is limited across different cultures, and that negative attitudes are associated with misunderstandings about the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities (pp.