Relationship between the life-stories of people with intellectual disabilities and their awareness of their handicap

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26380825
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College
• Principal Investigator: Sugita Yasuko 青山学院女子短期大学, 子ども学科, 教授 (50270012)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 知的障害 / ライフストーリー / 障害の自己認識 / 社会モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This qualitative study focuses on the relationship between the life-stories of 13 people with intellectual disabilities and their awareness of their handicap. Questioned on several occasions, 4 out of the 13 affirmed the existence of disabilities, 5 denied, 2 didn’t know the answer each time, while the remaining 2 changed their answers from negative to affirmative. A social model analysis reveals that 11 out of the 13 were in fact aware of their disabilities. A root cause of the disparity between verbal responses and inner awareness can be traced to social denigration of intellectual disabilities, which breeds contempt, discrimination and abuse of, and violence towards people with intellectual disabilities, most of whom in turn acquire a negative view of disabilities. On the other hand, some have an affirmative view of disabilities due to positive experiences of friendship with grownups and peers with the same handicap or due to receiving services that corresponded to their wishes.

Free Research Field

社会福祉学