Stigmatising young people with intellectual disability: Perceptions of the main stakeholders at a Spanish university

Abstract

Background: One of the main challenges facing individuals with an intellectual disability is the stigma associated with the various obstacles that hinder their process of full integration. Despite the efforts made, more research is called for to explore the reference environments and reveal how public and self-stigma are perceived in higher education. This scientific paper’s overriding aim is to analyse how different university stakeholders (students, lecturers, and admin and service staff) perceive the presence of young people with intellectual disability. Method: An ex post facto design has been used with a sample of 306 participants and a validated instrument for measuring the perception of individuals with an intellectual disability. Results: Our findings reveal that women perceive less stigma than men, and when the analysis is broken down into the collectives involved, students with disability are clearly more conscious of public or self-stigma than their peers without any disability. Conlcusion: The disparity between gender and roles underscores the need for socioeducational interventions to promote inclusion in higher education and address self-stigma, thereby fostering self-sufficiency and emotional wellbeing among young individuals with intellectual disabilities.