The Intellectually Disabled

Went to one of the schools under Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) today.

I realized the kids aren't as scary as we, or rather I, thought them to be. They are still kids and unlike mainstream school kids, a number of them wonderfully lack shyness. Their enthusiastic waves and greetings were heart-warming. Plus a number of them look really normal, they talk normally, they kid around with each other in the corridors, some are rather enthusiastic in class while some are shyer in class, all of which are very similar to a class in a mainstream school. Nevertheless, there are differences. Academic-wise, the subjects they are taught, the method of instruction and the size of classes greatly differ, while on an individual level, some do walk and talk differently.

I realized today while watching them that there really is nothing to fear. These are children, unique individuals. Though different from us in some ways, they are much like us in other ways. I must have been living in the stone-age era.

What are your perceptions of the intellectually disabled? Have you ever met them? Do you hold prejudices against them?