Inclusion Europe’s member Akim Israel has presented a report on the attitudes towards persons with intellectual disabilities in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. The report shows that although acceptance levels are high, there is still a long way to go to shift mindsets in order to achieve inclusion. Findings include:
– 26 per cent of those surveyed think that people with intellectual disabilities should live separately from the rest of society;
– 46 per cent of the public believe that people with intellectual disabilities shouldn’t have the right to make decisions by their own will regarding their money; and
– 36 per cent believe that people with intellectual disabilities should work only at protected and separate employment frameworks.
People with intellectual disabilities themselves, however, voice a strong preference for inclusive workspaces: An analysis of discussion groups held amongst people with intellectual disabilities regarding occupation revealed that people working in protected working frameworks express dissatisfaction with the places’ conditions and the minimal financial compensation. Additionally, they report their desire to work in the free market. The participants who work in the free market have emphasized the importance of being treated nicely and respectfully.
Akim’s Chairperson Ami Ayalon stressed that “some third of the public personally knows a person with intellectual disabilities, and accordingly their attitudes are more positive. As this acquaintance spreads, less people will think that people with intellectual disabilities need to be segregated.”
