Confronting the Stigma in Their Lives: Helping People With a Mental Retardation Label

This book is a sequel to an earlier book, Living With Stigma, published in 1983. The author revisits the problem of stigma thirteen years later, sharing much of his work and the work of others in confronting the problem of stigma. A special feature is the inclusion of voices of people labeled with mental retardation throughout the book. Their stories and viewpoints reflect the central message of the book: that they must be heard and taken more seriously. The book is divided into two parts. Part I provides understanding about the insidious social problem of stigma and its harmful effects on people with disabilities, largely from their perspectives. Part II is devoted to recommending effective ways of confronting and overcoming stigma, and a general approach is proposed. In addition, several projects for confronting stigma are introduced, and the self-advocacy movement is highlighted. Throughout, the book also offers questions for readers to ponder as they consider possible roles that they can play in confronting stigma. This book is written for "allies" of people with a mental retardation label. Allies are practitioners and administrators, board members, students, family members, and people with disabilities. Some allies are trained in professional disciplines such as social work, psychology, special education, and nursing, and others are volunteers. Most important, allies care about people with disabilities, and this text serves as an invaluable source in helping to recognize, understand, confront, and overcome the problem of stigma.