Challenges Encountered by People with Intellectual Disabilities - Literature review Example

Intellectual Disabilities Name Institution Date Course Intellectual Disabilities Introduction Intellectual disability is mainly a generalized disorder that occurs before adulthood. It is characterized with difficulties in learning due to the low levels of IQ. The people with intellectual disability may not be having other problems or disability except for the difficulties in learning. The problem is mainly mental and it may be difficult to immediately determine the people who are suffering from this kind of disability. It can be caused by environmental factors like lead poisoning and malnutrition during the childhood stages. The people with intellectual disability always have memory problems which affect their learning abilities. The memory problems can be associated with the low levels of IQ (Redley, 2007). Depending on the extent of the disability, the individuals may end up living independently at adulthood stage. However, most of the adults with intellectual disability are usually semi-independent and some usually rely on the services of the care givers. This is because their decision making skills may not be good enough and hence affect their daily operations. The adults with severe case intellectual disability problems always require intensive support throughout their lives. Supervision is also common among the adults with severe intellectual disability throughout their lives. Several factors contribute to intellectual disabilities which includes genetics or problems during birth. The adaptive behavior of the people with intellectual disabilities is usually low and hence contributing to poor judgment levels which affect their lives. According to statistics, the problem of intellectual disability affects 2-3% of the general population. This is an indication that the number of people with intellectual disabilities can be found in any population. Early intervention can play an important role in terms of managing the condition. This is important is ensuring that it does not become severe in the adulthood stage. On the other hand, it is also important to note that some of the adults with intellectual disabilities have been able to make it big in their live just like the other ordinary people. However, most of the adults with intellectual disabilities usually face a lot of challenges in their daily lives. This is because some members of the society may consider them to be inferior as compared to the people without intellectual disability. This therefore puts them at a disadvantaged position in the society. This is common in areas where people do not understand the problems of intellectual disabilities. The paper critically discusses the challenges encountered by adults with intellectual disabilities. Discussion Difficulties in access to adult education People with intellectual disabilities are usually faced with a lot of challenges in their daily lives which impacts negatively on their quality of life. The people with intellectual disabilities are usually slow in terms of learning. This means that most of them have to undertake adult education in order to attain different levels of education. In most cases, they usually face difficulties in terms of accessing the adult education opportunities. Mock, et al, (2012) found out that there are no clear policies with regards to the access of education by the people with intellectual disabilities. As such, they are usually taught by the ordinary teachers who may not understand how to handle them. This usually results to poor retreatment during the learning process and hence contributing to low quality of adult education. As stated in Winn, et al, (2009), lack of special education teachers has negative impacts on the learning process of the adults with intellectual disabilities. The lack of special education teachers usually exposes the adults with intellectual disability to low quality education which may not help them in the long run in terms of achieving their ambitions. This is considering that they too like anyone else have ambitions. Segregated settings are also common in terms of the provision of adult education among the people wit intellectual disabilities. This also has negative impacts in terms of the access to education by the adults who suffer from intellectual disabilities. This challenge has thus left many people with intellectual disabilities without education. Discrimination during employment and access to basic services People with intellectual disabilities usually face a lot of challenges in terms of employment. According to Jahoda, et al, (2008), most of the employers usually believe that the people with intellectual disabilities cannot perform their duties effectively. This is also considering that most of the employers require employees who are active and have the ability of enhancing the goals and objectives of the company. Most of the businesses that are keen on making profits usually discriminate the people with intellectual disabilities in terms of employment. This is because they do not believe that they can contribute to the profitability of company. This is due to their poor levels of judgment which may lead to poor decision making and hence impacting negatively on the profitability of the companies. Although the people with intellectual disabilities have the potential of becoming active participants in the workforce, most employers are not willing to take the risks by employing them. The level of completion in the job industry is also high with most of the candidates emphasizing on the employment of highly qualified personnel. The high levels of competition therefore locks out most of the adults with intellectual disabilities during the employment process. This is considering that the people without intellectual disabilities are usually preferred during the employment process. Although policies are in place for the purposes of ensuring that the promoting equality during the employment process, most of the companies do not follow the specified policies. The discrimination of the people with intellectual disabilities in terms of employment has thus led to their high unemployment rate. The level of discrimination of the people with intellectual disabilities is higher as compared to the other ordinary members of the society. Those with mild intellectual disabilities have the potential of making informed decisions and even live independently at adulthood. However, they are still subjected to discrimination when it comes to employment. The findings by Kiernan, et al, (2008) found that most of the people with intellectual disabilities are considered inefficient and in most cases they are allocated the junior positions within the organization. This is due to discrimination that they face at the workplace. In terms of accessing the health cares services, some have ended up being discriminated due to their difficulties in terms of explaining themselves to the medical personnel. This has a negative effect on the quality of their health. This is considering that the people with intellectual disabilities may also face many health problems due depending on the level of intellectual disability. Discrimination is thus a negative factor that affects the people who are faced with intellectual difficulties. This has also contributed to the high number of people with intellectual difficulties who remain unemployed despite having the requited qualifications for particular jobs. It is also important to note that the people with moderate intellectual disabilities have limited academic abilities. This negatively affects their abilities to gain meaningful employment which forces them to live with their parents or carers. The limitation in terms of academic abilities therefore causes most of the people with intellectual disabilities to be fully dependant on others. Discrimination in leadership and political positions People with intellectual disabilities are ambitious just like the other people without the intellectual disabilities. This is considering that some of the people with intellectual disabilities can live independently. Some of the adults with intellectual disabilities have ambitions of becoming leaders including in political positions. However, they usually face a lot of challenges in their quest to become leaders. This is because of the low level of trust and confidence that the people in the society have on them. Most of the people in the society do not believe that those with intellectual disabilities can be leaders. According to Redley, et al, (2007), the people without intellectual disabilities also undermine the leadership qualities of the people with intellectual disabilities. In terms of the elective leadership positions or political positions, the people with intellectual disabilities rarely get the chance to be elected. This challenge is also common in both the private and public sector in terms of the managerial posts. Most of the private companies do not recruit the people with intellectual disabilities in the managerial positions. This is because of the fear that they make wrong decision which may in turn lead to the collapse of the business. This is also similar in the government sector where the people with intellectual disabilities find it difficult to be appointed in the key positions. This is despite the government polices with regards to equal opportunities. This challenge has impacted negatively on the leadership ambition of most of the people with intellectual disabilities. Socialization challenges The adults with intellectual disabilities also experience challenges in terms of family and institutional support. This is due to the high demands that they may have in terms of supervision and support. As adults most of them may still have to depend on their family members and care givers in order to address their needs. In some instances, the people with intellectual disabilities may seem a burden to the family members which has led to some of them being abandoned by their families. Those who are abandoned by their family at the adulthood stage usually face a lot of hardship and hence impacting negatively on their quality of life. This also contributes to the poor living conditions of the adults with intellectual disabilities. On the other hand, the reliance on the family members also affects their abilities to live their lives like the other normal people (Evenhuis, 2012). This is because most of the decisions are made for them. On the other hand, those who rely on the care givers in their daily lives also face difficulties. This is because incidences of abuse by the care givers have been reported. The services that are provides by the care givers may also be costly to the family members. This may affect the financial position of the families and they may decide to stop supporting them. The high financial cost therefore affects their ability to access quality care and hence impacting negatively on their quality of life. The people with intellectual disabilities therefore face a lot of challenges due to the reliance on the family members and services of the care givers. Adults with intellectual disabilities also face challenges in terms of their social lives. This is considering that most of them also face challenges in socializing with the other members of the society. Since most of them are in constant supervision of their family members or care givers, their social problems are worsened. The adults with intellectual disabilities usually find it difficult to find partners so as to live like the other ordinary members of the society. Most of the potential partner s in the society may fear associating with them due to their poor social and judgment skills. Other members of the society may also look down upon them as they do not have any confidence on them and hence impacting negatively on their abilities to find partners for the purposes of marriage. It is for this reason that the people wit intellectual disabilities find it difficult to marry or get married. Those who enter into the marriage institution also face challenges in their marriages. They always find it difficult to manage their families. This is because they still require a lot of care and supervision on a daily basis and hence impacting negatively on their ability to manage their own families. It is for this reason that some of the people with intellectual disabilities do not enter into the marriage institution at all. Others who enter into marriage institution may end up being divorced due to their inability to manage their families. This has negative impacts on their ability to live like the other people in the society. Loneliness is one of the challenges that the people with intellectual disabilities usually face. Most of them usually end up being lonely due to the poor social skills and hence making it difficult to find friends. On the other hand, the study by Parry, et al, (2011) found that it is easy for them to loose friends as a result of their poor social skills. Those who depend on the family members and social care givers are at risk of loneliness. The family members may be engaged in different activities leaving them alone. Since they do not have friends, they spend most of the time by themselves. This challenge is worse for those who are not employed or have to stray at home as they have to spend a lot of time on their own. It is also important to note that some of the people with intellectual disabilities who are lonely are prone to suicide (Moran, 2010). Others have been faced with depression which affects their health and hence impacting negatively on their quality of life. The adults with intellectual disabilities may not be in a position to perform different tasks as they are slow in terms of carrying out their operations. This also exposes them to more difficulties as they have top spend most of their time doing nothing. However, this is common to the adult who face a severe case of intellectual disability. Loneliness is thus a big challenge that faces the people with intellectual disabilities as they are unable to make friends. Challenges in accessing funds According to Berry, et al, (2000), most of the people with intellectual disabilities usually rely on the social security programs for the purposes of their survival. However, it is also important to note that some may not able to access the social security funds. This affects their quality of life and survival. Lack of money or financial resources is thus a challenge that the people with intellectual disabilities are usually exposed to. Those who have access to the funds may still be confronted with financial difficulties. This is because the funds are not enough to carter for all their needs and hence exposing then to vulnerability. The policies that are in place are also not specific with regards to the access of funds by the people with intellectual disabilities. The lack of clear policies therefore impacts negatively on the abilities of the people with intellectual disabilities to benefit from the funds from the social security. The quality of life of the people with intellectual disabilities is also low with some facing poverty due to lack of money. This is also considering that the people with intellectual disabilities may not have a source of income. Those who had difficulties in obtaining the adult education suffer the most since they cannot get jobs for the purposes of ensuring that they can support themselves. The social security programs may at times be faced with challenges due to various economic or political reasons. This has a negative impact on the people with intellectual disabilities as most of them rely on the funds from the social security. Abuse by members of the society The adults with moderate intellectual disabilities are may be faced with challenges with regards to making decisions. This has a negative impact on their lives in terms of carrying out certain operations. Those who are working always find it difficult to make decisions with regards to their financial management. This is due to their poor judgment that affects the decision making process. As a result of the poor decision making skills, their finances have to be managed for them. According to Holwerda, et al. (2013), management of their finances by other people exposes them to exploitation. This is because their financial records can be manipulated by those who are managing it on their behalf. This affects them negatively as far as their financial status is concerned and hence contributing to low quality of life. The risk of exploitation of the adults with intellectual disability is thus high. This can be carried out by the people who are close to them or their family members. Their poor decision making skills also affects their quality of life. This is because they end up making the wrong decision most of the times which may have negative consequences. The fear of making wrong decisions therefore forces them to rely on supportive services from time to time and hence impacting negatively on their ability to be independent. However, it is important to note that those with mild intellectual disability may not be faced with many problems with regards to decision making and financial management. How to overcome the challenges According to a study by O’Connor, et al, (2012), the challenge can be addressed through partnership between the government and the private sector. The partnership should ensure that profit making and non profit making agencies are established for the purposes of benefiting the people with intellectual disabilities. Agencies should build schools, rehabilitation centers and apartments that the people with intellectual disabilities can live in. This will play an essential role in ensuring that they are able to meet their demands in terms of adult education within the facilities of the agencies. Creation of awareness among the members of the society regarding the potential of the people with intellectual disabilities. On the other hand, the government can put in place policies that ensure that the people with intellectual disabilities are nominated to elective posts. The government together with the private sectors should be encouraged to employ the people with intellectual disabilities. Overcoming the challenges that are faced by the people with intellectual disabilities is important in enabling them to live a good life. The quality of their life can be improved through embracing measures that overcomes the challenges. The research by Holwerda, et al, (2013), revealed that the government can play in important role in ensuring that the challenges of the people with intellectual disabilities are reduced. This can be achieved through the creation of policies that will ensure that the people with intellectual disabilities have equal rights as the other members of the society. The policies should ensure that they have access to adult education without any hindrance. This will play a significant role in addressing the challenges that they face with regards to access to adult educations. As stated by Lindsay, (2011), it is also important for the government to develop clear policies with regards to equal opportunities when it comes to employment. This is aimed at ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities are not discriminated against when it comes to employment. This should also consider employment in the higher positions. It is important to note that some policies are already in place but they are not effective enough. It is important to note that the presence of clear policies will enable the people with social disabilities to live better lives. The government policies should also target the access to social security services by the people with intellectual disabilities. This will improve on their livelihoods since most of them do not have a source of income and hence subjecting them to poverty. Healthcare facilities should also be built by the agencies so as to address the needs of the people with intellectual disabilities. It is also important for the agencies to employ different professional for the purposes of assisting the adults with intellectual disabilities. This should include teachers, doctors, social workers and therapists. This is mainly for the purposes of ensuring that the needs of the people with intellectual disabilities are addressed adequately. This also requires the support of both the government and the private sector. The agencies can also establish programs that will ensure that the people with intellectual disabilities are able to get jobs within the community. This will be useful in terms of improving on their financial wellbeing. The research by Berry, et al, (2000), found out that availability of jobs for the people with intellectual disabilities is important in ensuring that their quality of life is improved. Programs should also be developed for the purposes of building apartments for the people with intellectual disabilities since most of them do not a source of income. This will be useful in improving their living conditions in terms of provision of quality housing. Since the people with intellectual disabilities have problems with managing their families, the agency should create programs for the purposes of supporting the children and family members of the people with intellectual disabilities. Funds should also be provided to the parents of the people with intellectual disabilities. This is considering that they still live with their parents even as adults. It is important for an awareness program to be created for the purposes of sensitizing the people about the intellectual disabilities. This is because most of the people in the society confuse the intellectual disability with mental illness. The attitude and perception of the members of the society can be changed through the awareness program. The study by Mock, et al, (2012) found that the changes in the perception of the people will play an essential role in ensuring that the discrimination of the people with intellectual disabilities is reduced. This will also be useful in ensuring that they are able to gain leadership and meaningful employment opportunities like the other members of the society. The creation of awareness regarding the condition will also be useful in terms of improving on their social lives. The family members will also be in apposition to provide better care to the adults with intellectual disabilities through the awareness program. The quality of life of the people with intellectual disabilities is thus dependant on how they are treated by the members of the society. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the adults with intellectual disabilities faces a lot of challenges that impacts negatively on the quality of their life. Most of the people with intellectual disabilities usually faces a lot of challenges due to discrimination in terms of employment, access to adult education and health are services. It is also evident that they usually face a lot of challenges in terms of socialization which subjects them to difficulties in managing their families and spouse. The lack of income is also one of the challenges that face the people with intellectual disability which makes them dependant on their families. The exploitation of the people with intellectual disabilities is also common which has a negative impact on their lives. The exploitation is because they depend on other to perform most of the activities for them. The poor social skills also impacts negatively on the health of the adults with intellectual disabilities as it exposes them to loneliness which contributes to stress. This has the ability of affecting their health and hence increasing their challenges. It is also evident that cases of suicide have been reported due to the challenges that the adults with intellectual disabilities face. It is also evident that the people with intellectual disabilities require a lot of support in over to overcome their challenges. Governments need to put in place policies and legislations that will ensure that the people with intellectual disabilities are not exploited or discriminated against. It is also evident that the partnership between the public and private sector will play an essential role in ensuring that that challenges of the [people with intellectual disabilities are addressed. Funds are also required for the purposes of combating the challenges that the people with intellectual disabilities face. Creation of awareness among the members of the community with regards to the condition is also useful. This is because it will play an essential role in changing the attitudes and perceptions of the people with regards to the people with the condition. It is thus evident that the measures that are put in place have to involve the community, government and the private sector. References Berry, G. (2000). The supplemental security income program and employment for the young adults with disabilities: An analysis of the National Health Interview Survey on disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities Vol 15No 3. Evenhuis, H. M. (2012). 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