Family Futures

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Strong families building strong communities

Vivian Fernández de Torrijos, former First Lady of Panama and Special Adviser on Family Issues,

Inclusion International; and Diane Richler, Past President, Inclusion International

dvancing

ocial

ntegration

and

ntergenerational

olidarity

here are at least 1 billion people in the world who

have a disability. Of those, about one-third, or more

than 3 million people have an intellectual disabil-

ity. And all of those people are members of families – they

have mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and

cousins. If we assume that each person who has an intel-

lectual disability has at least eight relatives, that means

that 2.5 billion people in the world are touched by intel-

lectual disability.

The nature of intellectual disabilities – difficulty learning,

remembering, problem-solving and often communicating –

means that people who have intellectual disabilities usually

require some degree of lifelong support. And most of that

support comes from their families.

Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, people with intel-

lectual disabilities are invisible. There is a lot of stigma and

misunderstanding about intellectual disability. People may

think that the person with a disability is a punishment for the

parents’ sins, or controlled by the devil. Families may worry

that having a brother or sister with an intellectual disability

will make it difficult for other children in the family to marry. A

father may blame the mother for having a child with a disability

and abandon the family.

A mother tells her story: “In Nepali society, disabled and

(intellectually disabled) individuals are often shunned. Few

people are aware of what (intellectual disability) is and see

the disorder as a handicap and something to stare at and be

ashamed of. I myself have a five-year-old son with (an intel-

lectual disability). The biggest lesson I have learned is that

the more you hide, the bigger the situation grows. I believe

that the parents should not isolate such children from the

fear of stigmatization; rather they should be treated as normal

members of society.”

Children with intellectual disabilities rarely go to school

in most of the world. Those that do are often in schools or

classes separate from the other children of their communities,

so that they remain strangers. People with intellectual disabili-

ties in all parts of the world are more subject to violence and

abuse, less likely to be employed, and generally poor.

People with intellectual disabilities usually require lifelong support,

most of which comes from their families

When communities are inclusive, everyone benefits: a weekly parents’ support

group meeting of the Kenyan Association of the Intellectually Handicapped

Image: Help Center

Image: Kenyan Association of the Intellectually Handicapped