Stigma in the Area of Intellectual Disabilities: Examining a Conceptual Model of Public Stigma.

Werner (2015) ran a survey to map how feelings shape social distance toward adults with intellectual disability. The team asked people how calm or negative they felt, then linked those feelings to how close they were willing to get to an adult with ID.

Calm feelings, not just low negative feelings, predicted less social distance. In plain words, when people felt relaxed around adults with ID, they were more willing to share space and time with them.

McConkey (2015) used the same survey style in Ireland and found a clear discomfort ladder across disability types. Both studies show you can measure public stigma with simple questions, but Shirli zooms in on the exact feeling you can change.

Hattier et al. (2011) add that neighbors feel mixed anticipatory emotions before people with ID move in. Pairing Shirli’s calm-affect lever with A et al.’s neighbor insights gives you two spots to intervene: boost calm and prep anticipatory feelings.

Eberhart et al. (2006) found students with ID feel stigma in both mainstream and special schools, yet stay optimistic. Shirli’s adult focus and G et al.’s youth focus together cover the life span: stigma starts early, but calm adults can model acceptance.

You can’t fix stigma you can’t measure. Shirli hands you a quick calm-affect item you can add to staff or parent surveys. Track it before and after inclusion events; if calm scores rise, social distance should shrink. Use the item in staff training too—teaching calm body language and tone may do more than lecturing about being “nice.”