The Negative Stigma Associated With Learning Disability In Educational Institutions Nigeria

There is a lack of understanding related to the way that the stigma of having a learning disability impacts students in Nigeria (Abang, 1988; Fuchs, Mock, Morgan and Young, 2003). The objective of this qualitative, autoethnographic research was to explore personal experience and engage in self-reflection through the theoretical lens of the social model of disability. Based on the current body of research it was determined that there are gaps that influenced the establishment of the problem at the core of this research and that there is a lack of understanding of the social, cultural and schooling factors that lead to the stigmatization of students with learning disabilities in Nigeria. An autoethnographic methodology was employed in the research as a means of exploring the problem as it would support greater depth and breadth based on the narrative of the primary investigator. Stigma plays a substantial role in the lifestyle of people with learning disabilities in Nigeria and is a factor that limits access to services that could improve quality of life. Intellectual impairments are not well understood and the assumptions of people in the community as well as educational professionals make obtaining accommodations difficult for people with intellectual disabilities. Teacher education in Nigeria must place greater focus on facilitating the development of special needs students.