STIGMATISATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN A MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY

Stigma is a form of negative social interaction that exists in our society and its existence should not be taken lightly and must be neutralised. This is because those who are stigmatised are at risk of facing all sorts of prejudice, discrimination, and segregation. Disabled people are a minority social group that is affected by this negativity. Stigma is not only given by society, but it can also be formed in oneself. This article discusses findings from interviews with ten disabled undergraduate students with different types of disabilities. The result shows that not only do the aforementioned stigmas exist in respondents’ lives, but there are also two forms of stigma: stigma which is given by the disabled community among themselves and stigma towards disabled persons by their non-disabled counterparts. In conclusion, the author gives some suggestions for consideration to combat stigma and disabling social environments in higher education.