The Strength of Intellectual Disability

Dr. Temple Grandin said, 

“If you want to understand autism: Animals.”

What she meant is that in order to understand intellectual disability, we have to look at thinking styles. Different thinking styles bring different and useful perspectives that are important to the world. This sounds so simple however, society has created significant barriers that limit our ability to see the worth and need for different minds. We often see intellectual disability in a negative light. We view people who think and interpret the world differently as less than. We don’t trust in their ability to contribute to our conversations in a beneficial way. We devalue their existence. 

For example, in 2013, 32 intellectually disabled Iowans were awarded 7.3 million dollars each for enduring years of discrimination and abuse working at a turkey processing plant. For 30 years, the men were forced to live in filth, sometimes padlocked into their bug-infested living areas. They were treated with what seems to be almost the same care that the turkeys were. This disturbing story is not unique. Stories like this and others of various cruelties exist in high numbers.

People with intellectual disabilities are viewed as subhuman. There is a historical perception that intellectually disabled people are insensitive to heat and cold and do not need access to heat in the winter. We know this to be untrue, but the perception reinforces how intellectually disabled people are dehumanized. Dehumanization is the process of depriving a person or group of positive human qualities. As a result, disabled people are not seen as capable or as dignified as non-disabled members. In fact, intellectually disabled people are often animalized and dehumanized to a degree in which they are not seen as human, but as animals. 

Viewing intellectually disabled people like animals because they are seen as less valuable in society is unfair to both humans and animals. However, something interesting happens when you think of intellectually disabled people’s way of thinking in comparison to animals. Both humans with autism and animals think in similar ways. They are visual thinkers. This means that they think in specific images, not language. The details are important. For example, a horse that had alcohol thrown in its eyes during a veterinary procedure developed a fear of black cowboy hats, but not white ones because it was looking at a black hat when the alcohol was thrown. The image that the horse had of the abuser was specific and did not generalize. Learning is specific and does not translate to similar activities. These are all things that all for amazing thinking but also the differences that stigmatize the group.

Dr. Temple Grandin, who has autism, has used these findings to her advantage. She has found several ways to improve cattle handling facilities by considering her own experiences with sensory issues. She utilized her attention to detail and visual thinking to see things from the animal’s perspective while considering areas and solutions for improvement. In doing this, she has not only aided animals and facilities, but she has also shown that intellectual disability does not mean incapable. She is an example of why we need all kinds of minds.

Greta Thunberg is another example of why unique minds are important and not ones to ostracize. Greta is a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize. Her climate activism has sparked worldwide protests for climate change. Her unique way of thinking and interpreting allows her to think outside of the box and consider other ways to speak out climate change and work, encouraging policy change. When people watch Greta speak, along with how well-spoken she is are also words of how she is odd and socially strange. Thunberg has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. In a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Thunberg was asked why she views her Asperger’s as a gift. She responded by speaking about how it allows her to think outside of the box and be a useful resource in times of crisis, like the current climate condition.

                                        

We need unique minds. The average brain is not capable of noticing details like that of an autistic one. Both minds are crucial in solving problems and adding to the world. Much too often, we see that people’s perception of intellectual disability has negative consequences to the person with the disability. Mistreatment due to disability and dehumanization are costs of not seeing the value in unique minds. In a world with so many issues, we could use as many different thinkers and perspectives as we can get.