A problem that is visible in society, but not really talked about, is the discrimination on people with intellectual impairment.  This discrimination comes from the lack of education and lack of exposure on this group of people. A person with intellectual impairment could have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, developmental delay, Fragile X syndrome, or down syndrome.  It is natural for people to look at someone who does not look normal or draw attention to someone who is behaving unusual. That is why people who have intellectual impairments with visible characteristics are often looked at. Regular people do not realize those with these impairments can tell them they are being treated differently and feel the same as everyone else.  People who are regularly exposed to those with intellectual impairments, whether it be with family members or even people in one’s work environment, do not think anything when they see someone with down syndrome walking past. These people who are exposed to those with impairments have more education and understand what is going on more than people with no interaction. These people with impairments are often categorized as outcasts, even though it is not their choice to be different.  This is a problem because the people who have an intellectual impairment are being judged as if their difference is bad from people who are insensitive about their struggles and do not know how beautiful these people are.

A solution to relieve the discrimination towards those with intellectual impairments is to have more television programs feature people with these impairments.  Movies and television shows are big influencers on society and their views on different topics. People are not likely to sit and read about the causes and symptoms of an intellectual impairment.  Usually, those who are taking the time to research more about these people are either going to be around them in the future or are just interested in their behavior. If someone is watching an attention grabbing movie or TV show, which is featuring characters with intellectual impairments, they will be learning more about these people without even knowing it.  In the movies or TV shows, the writers would have to write the characters with the impairments as normal characters facing accurate problems. The writers will also have to make the characters without these impairments treat the affected people with the same respect and dignity as everyone else. Writers and producers would have to do additional research on their chosen branch of intellectual impairment to understand and accurately write a story with a character affected with their specific disability.  Using such a big media outlet such as television could effectively desensitize people to those living with intellectual impairments.

Exposing people to the intellectual impaired through television could help diminish discrimination towards those with an impairment by making them more familiar with their behaviors.  Television is powerful when it comes to influencing people on viewpoints about certain topics. For example, movies have put so much violence in movies, that we are essentially desensitized to violence.  The film industry is known for making movies about people and situations that are not normal. If movies and tv shows start putting people with intellectual impairments in their stories, they could possibly change the way others see them.  The exposure of these impaired people and some struggles they go through could make others more aware and familiar with what is going on in their heads. When people become more familiar with the behavior and features of those different than them, they can start embracing their differences and remember they are all humans with feelings and emotions.  If the film industry can translate to people what intellectually impaired people go through everyday, people can learn and eventually stop seeing the impaired as such different people.