This is Emile, proud of his simple painting. They are not disabled, they are gifted !
Intellectual Disability and Society
Emile works for eight straight hours every day to contribute to an art workshop which involves recycling paper to produce colorful handmade paper bags.
The 35-year-old loves to paint and play sports but he can only do that under supervision. “I recycle paper in a machine and color them,” Emile said cheerfully. “I love art and swimming.”
Emile was diagnosed with moderate intellectual disability when he was only one- year-old. “He had a fever for few consecutive days which affected his brain and the physician at that time told me that he will be intellectually disabled,” said Mrs. Viola, Emile’s mother.
According to the World Health Organization, Emile is one of nearly eight million individuals who are mentally disabled in Egypt.
Family and Intellectual Disability
People who suffer from intellectual disability have below-average mental ability and lack basic skills necessary for day-to-day living such as the ability to communicate. Intellectually disabled people can and do learn new skills, but they learn at a slow rate. There are varying degrees of intellectual disability from mild to profound. There are various causes of mental disability including genetic conditions, problems during pregnancy, problems during childbirth, exposure to toxic substances and other scientifically unknown causes.
Dr.Nadia Elaraby, an art therapist with a doctorate in philosophy in education, said that the family is the starting point in enhancing the skills of intellectually disabled individuals. She added that the cooperation between families and therapists contribute to the success of developing their skills.
According to David Derrer, the medical director of the Good Samaritan Health Center in Atlanta and the medical reviewer for WebMD, the awareness of the family members on how to deal with their disabled children contributes to the enhancement of their skills.
Mrs. Viola said that taking care of a child who is intellectually disabled is a very exhausting task and a huge responsibility. She added that she feels proud to have an intellectually disabled son but that’s not often the case with the majority of people who often view disabled children as less smart.
Dr. Nadia asserted that, unlike Mrs. Viola, many mothers give up on their disabled children early on. “These mothers cannot psychologically accept the fact that their children are intellectually disabled,” she noted.
Integration in the Society
According to the Declaration of Rights of Intellectually disabled Persons adopted in 1971, intellectually disabled individuals have “the same rights as other human beings.” While the Social Rehabilitation Law No.39 states that trained disabled individuals should be given a license to employment. The current quota of disabled workers in any business with over 60 employees whether in public or private sector should be five percent. However, according to the African Disability Rights Yearbook, which publishes peer-reviewed contributions dealing with the rights of persons with disabilities and related topics, with specific relevance to Africa, Africans and scholars of Africa, the employment quota is not enforced in Egypt. Moreover, companies often place persons with disabilities on their payroll to meet the quota without actually employing these individuals. But, Egypt is undergoing political transition and both constitutional and law reform efforts are ongoing. Political transitions represent both challenges and opportunities in terms of advancing the rights of persons with disabilities.
Even the parents of intellectually disabled children think that their children should be integrated in the society. Mrs. Viola believes that they should be integrated in the society and be treated normally as my family and friends do. This is because their number has increased and they can’t be marginalized anymore. She also added that the society should be more accepting of different people. “Many people actually fear them and awareness about such cases should be the role of the government and the media,” Mrs.Viola added.
There are many non-for-profit associations across Egypt to help people with intellectual disability. They mainly operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Most provide training on independence besides social integration.
Emile attended the Rights to Live Association before he landed a job with the organization for his contribution in arts projects and ability to help other intellectually disabled individuals. Dr. Nadia said that Emile’s work has helped improve his psychological state because it allows him to feel independent and needed.
Emile hopes to be treated like normal healthy people. He dreams of success with no barriers.
“I want other people to see the drawings I do with my friends.”
By: Layla Umara
This is a sample of the paper bags produced by intellectually disabled children in the recycling workshop in the Rights to Live Association. Emile and his friends spend 8 hours everyday to create these colorful bags
This is Emile, the 35-years-old intellectually disabled case, trying to express himself and talk about his job in the recycling workshop.
He tries to demonstrate how he uses a machine that helps him recycle the papers and produce colorful paper bags. In the interview Mrs.Viola, Emile's mother, and Dr.Nadia Elarabi, Emile's therapist in the Right to Live Association, were asked about some issues regarding disabled people in Egypt.
Doctor Nadia El Araby is Emile's art therapist and a PHD holder in the philosophy of education.
In this interview, she tackles various aspects regarding intellectual disability in Egypt. These issues include how families should deal with having an intellectually disabled child and wether they should be integrated in the society or not.
By: Layla Umara