What is a social stigma?
We’ll start off as simply as possible: a social stigma is the disapproval of and discrimination against a certain group of individuals within a society. It’s based on perceivable social characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society, and it can fall along the lines of culture, gender, choices, race, socioeconomic class, age, sexual orientation, illness, body image, intelligence, and health (thanks, Wikipedia).
A stigma is an ancient Greek-origin word that often referred to the marking or a tattoo that people outside of the law would bear- slaves, criminals, traitors to the government and other people who wouldn’t generally be well accepted if they were to walk into a social situation unannounced. And this meaning is what we reflect out into the idea of a social stigma: a mark against people who seem ‘outside’ or ‘alien’ to discriminatory groups within a society, to whom they would prefer to deny insiderhood to for whatever reason.
Social stigmas can occur in many different forms, and can affect situations across the lived experience. This can be anything from how our social relationships look and we’re treaded in the schoolyard and in the classroom when we’re in education to how we’re selected for things like jobs when we’re older and venturing out into the world. People who experience a social stigma usually feel different and devalued next to their peers, and it can negatively impact self-esteem and mental health in people of all ages- and make us feel incredibly lonely, too.
Is there a social stigma against dyslexia and people with dyslexia?
It’s a complex question, but most people would agree that there is: people with dyslexia do tend to get treated differently and discriminated against in some aspects of the world at large. Most people would agree that this happens far less than in even the very recent past, but these stigmas, stereotypes and erroneous beliefs do persist in a lot of parts of society.
There are levels to it: somebody very ill-informed or callous might simply think that people with dyslexia aren’t putting in the effort, and struggle with their literacy as a result of laziness, and mock them because of it. Somebody else when looking to hire a graphic designer might pass over CVs that indicate an individual has dyslexia because they foresee issues arising around communication with clients, don’t want to spend time working out a support system, or don’t want to risk potential problems or longer time-frames arising in the future. Both are examples of a social stigma existing against people with dyslexia, but it’s the second one that’s perhaps more dangerous, as it exists in a very hidden way- in our biases and subconscious decision-making, and can even be passed off by some as simply ‘common sense’, even though it absolutely isn’t.
What does the social stigma look like around dyslexia?
It largely takes the form of misconceptions and myths around ideas of capability and intelligence. If someone perpetuates a social stigma against somebody with dyslexia, they might wrongly believe and disseminate that…
What are the effects of this social stigma?
It can take form in society as peer-to-peer bullying, social media bullying, exclusion from opportunities and the perpetuation of negative stereotypes, which in turn can lead to a reinforcement of the stigma via visibility. The more people that hold these beliefs, the worse social stigmas can get, which is why awareness movements like The Go Red for Dyslexia Campaign are so important- because without fostering understandings that these ideas are false, we can end up with social stigmas creeping into the frameworks that govern our lives and becoming a part of policy and decision-making.
Social stigma has a pretty significant mental health effect on individuals with dyslexia- at a primary level, it’s hurtful and demoralising to hear people mocking or questioning your capabilities or spreading false information about something you have no control over. At a secondary level, finding yourself feeling marginalised and passed over when it comes to applying for opportunities and losing out on opportunities can double the effects, as they can lead to a lack of satisfaction in careers that wouldn’t be the ones you chose- or even struggling to find a job, college place or even a more social role in the first place.
How do we end the stigma?
First, we need to acknowledge that even in 2022, it exists. Many people, especially younger people who have grown up with more knowledgeable attitudes surrounding dyslexia won’t have the same experiences as their older peers, might feel that the stigma isn’t that bad any more, but it remains that any amount of stigma is a bad one- and it’s perhaps much more prevalent than you’d think.
Education is key to eroding old-fashioned, false attitudes about dyslexia, and we need to make sure that young people are growing up with even better understandings of dyslexia, how capable people with dyslexia are, and that a lot of what they hear via hearsay about it might be untrue and needs questioning. But it doesn’t stop in schools – we need to tackle these beliefs and perpetuations at their root too, and that means global awareness campaigns, and better understandings of dyslexia at a business, corporate and media level that these organizations continue to push out information to reach even more people.
This necessitates adopting a best practice that’s as inclusive and accessible as it possibly can be, and not only demonstrating, but actively using those platforms as a means of calling for commitments to be made to neurodiverse people as part of ongoing strategy. We’re living in a world that’s becoming more accessible than ever before- perhaps far more accessible than some of us expected it to be in our lifetimes- but there’s still a way to go before these attitudes get replaced by sensitive, educated understanding for good.
This May, we're focusing on making mental health inclusive for the dyslexia community with our Dyslexia & Me campaign. But the work doesn't stop there- we'll be spending Dyslexia Awareness Month in October Going Red for Dyslexia too. If you want to find out more about inclusivity, awareness and working to end the stigma against people with dyslexia and literacy differences, you can check out our global dyslexia awareness campaign Go Red for Dyslexia at www.goredfordyslexia.org. This year we're focusing on inclusivity - so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned on social media for information on how you can get involved.