STIGMATIZATION! STIGMATIZATION!!

Stigmatization. PC: Plos

A beautiful young lady, fair in complexion with an average height is very intelligent but has epilepsy. In addition to epilepsy, she has polydactyly (a condition where someone is with one or more extra fingers or toes). Due to her condition, the society has tagged her as being possessed by a demon. Children are scared to come closer to her, members of the society keep a distance away from her. This attitude from society makes her isolated and unwilling to bring out the best in her.

This short scenario defines STIGMATIZATION. You may have heard or read the word stigmatization in a book, on the news or even from a colleague and might be wondering what it is or whether it is good or bad. Let’s probe into the word ‘stigmatization.

Stigmatization refers to attitudes and beliefs that lead people to reject, avoid or fear those perceived to be different from normal. Our major concentration in this context is the stigmatization of disabled people.

Disabled people are the most stigmatized in our society. In Ghana, many societies tag them as “gods”, a “curse” to the family or society, others consider disability to be a disease and many more. And this stigma DOES affect disabled people.

Polydactyly. PC: Wikipedia

How does it affect them?

Research has identified disabled people often experience low self esteem due to stigma. They lack self confidence and mostly feel bad about themselves. According to Morris Rosenberg and Timothy J. Owens, people with low self esteem tend to be hypersensitive. They have a fragile sense of self that can easily be wounded by others. This is a feature of most disabled people with low self-esteem.

Stigmatization robs disabled people of social opportunities. Due to the stigma attached to disabled people, they mostly do not want to get themselves involved in social activities and thus draw themselves away from people. This deprives them of the ability to build themselves in terms of skills and self-confidence.

It leads to exclusion. Due to stigma, many disabled children are hidden and kept in the house to prevent embarrassment or harassment that may be shown to the mother and family members. Due to this, societies have very little experience and few examples of what disabled children are able to accomplish, leading them to assume that they are incapable and therefore should be excluded.

Stigmatization of disabled persons does not intrinsically come from the fact that they have a disability but because society does not have much knowledge about disability. The main problem is the invisibility process. Societies are not used to having relationships with disabled people. They have less idea about how to interact with them so they stigmatize them and act as if there is no room for disabled people and non-disabled people to live together in one community.

I therefore suggest the need to educate members of the society about disability. Education about disability is the key if the current wave surrounding stigmatization would be completely ripped-off. Education for communities regarding what causes disability and the rights and needs of disabled people is vital for the elimination of stigma and promoting inclusion in the society.

Conclusively, stigmatization is very profuse in Ghana and it is a very crucial issue which causes hurt and limitation for disabled people. Societies and advocates must come together to help eliminate it. For DISABILITY IS NOT INABILITY.

Benedicta A. Antwi Asamoah
A proud member, SID