Turning a blind eye to intellectual disabilities

According to the 2001 Census, around 26 million people in India, or 2.13 per cent of the population, suffer from intellectual disabilities, and of them, 3.5 million require 24/7 care due to their disabilities. The number of this population must have grown substantially by now. However, there are only 40 institutions with a total of 26,000 beds in the whole country suited to take care of the intellectually-challenged. Only nine of the 40 institutions are for children, and most institutions are similar to asylums, with several patients kept in solitary confinement for no reason, except that it makes the caretaker’s job easier. In these institutions, the patients are “treated worse than animals”, according to the Human Rights Watch. Even with such a small number of institutions in the entire country, a majority of them are in the metros, with hardly any centre for the mentally challenged in rural areas.

In India, there are less than 4,000 doctors who are able to treat the 3.5 million in need. Such pathetic conditions have led to mentally ill  individuals being chained in their homes by their own families. These people have been chained for years at a time. In one case, 25 mentally challenged individuals burned to death for not being able to escape a fire as they were chained to their beds in an institution. India has a terrible approach to mental illnesses with only 1 in 10 of those in need being treated. 

These individuals face crippling social stigma. The biggest problem with a stigma is that oftentimes there is reluctance to change mindset simply because it is convenient and it’s easier to stay in the comfort zone. But as human being, we need to all come together and help each other out, especially those of us who have the privilege of food, shelter, water, family, and education. We are the ones who need to destigmatise these issues and helping those who really need it. We need to eliminate the stigma that has built up around intellectual disability.

There are several things you can do to support the cause of eliminating the stigma plaguing the intellectually challenged. If you have the means to do so, you should certainly donate money or volunteer to become a caregiver at an institution near you. One thing that we should all do is to call out anyone who shows disrespect towards the intellectually disabled. We must always stand up for those who are intellectually disabled. Every time someone treats them disrespectfully or crack jokes at their expense, I urge you to talk to them and make them understand why it is not okay to do what they are doing. We must all come together and support one another.