Attitudes of College Students Toward People with Disabilities

Authors

Wonsun (S.) Seo
Roy K. Chen, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 2009

Abstract

The current study sought to explore attitudinal differences in college students toward people with disabilities (PWD) based on their demographic backgrounds and levels of prior contact. Participants were 311 undergraduate and graduate students at a large public university in the Midwest. Using the Attitudes Towards Disabled Persons Scale, Form-O (Yuker & Block, 1986) and the Contact with Disabled Persons Scale (Yuker & Hurley, 1987), a moderate positive correlation between attitudes and levels of contact was found (r = .302, p < .001). Significant differences in the mean scores of the ATDP were observed for different demographic groups. A subsequent ANCOVA indicated that levels of prior contact were influential on attitudes towards PWD. Implications for rehabilitation practice and future research are discussed.

Comments

Copyright JARC.

Recommended Citation

Seo, W. (S.), & Chen, R. K. (2009). Attitudes of college students towards people with disabilities. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 40(4), 3–8.