Struggling with sameness and strangeness: (Non)-encounters between people with and without intellectual disabilities in two Dutch neighbourhoods

Abstract

Background: In the debate on the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, we find various proposals for dealing with sameness and difference. A more inclusive understanding of difference is needed to ensure that the perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities are taken into account. Method: This study involved in-depth interviews with 25 individuals with intellectual disabilities, 24 people without disabilities, and 15 professionals; and observations in neighbourhood projects. Results: Facilitating convivial encounters is a promising way of engaging with difference and an interesting alternative to “othering,” “similarising,” or “romanticising difference.” Conclusions: Convivial encounters do not promote sameness or difference; instead, they allow groups to jointly develop transient shared identifications. In community projects, sameness and difference can be reinvented so that people can engage with difference in an enriching way. Therefore, convivial encounters, especially when organised, can be seen as a new framing of the ideal of social inclusion.