Attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities

Human service students along with any pre-professional student who intends to interact with people on a therapuetic basis need positive attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities. How can attitudes be changed to reflect the needed commitment and motivation it takes to be an effective helper? This particular question was investigated at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, during the winter term of 1988. Data were collected on 69 undergraduate students who took a human services course with one of the two professors assigned. The sample, divided into two groups, experimental and control, took the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP) Form-O pre and post-test.

The control group did not participate in any other treatments. The experimental group, however, was given three "Outside Assignments" (Appendix C) to be completed within the school term. The experimental subjects also participated in a one hour and fifteen minute role-play where they simulated various disabilities: blindness, loss of fine motor control (finger dexterity), and paraplegia.

The results showed little improvement in scores on the pre- and post-test of the control group. Also, there were no differences between the post-test scores of the control and experimental groups. There was, however, a statistically significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. The results indicate that direct, equal contact with persons who have disabilities and knowledge about impairments help to reduce individual and societal prejudice towards people with disabilities.