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Article Excerpt
Despite the existence of a plethora of empirical and anecdotal studies assessing attitudes towards persons with disabilities, the vast majority of these deal primarily with adult perceptions and societal views (Olkin, 1999; Smart, 2001; Yuker, 1988). Harris' (1991) annual poll of American attitudes toward persons with disabilities found the two most common sentiments were admiration and pity. In addition, most Americans surveyed felt that persons with disabilities were fundamentally "different" than those without disabilities. Previous literature regarding societal attitudes in the U.S. and abroad suggest persons with disabilities have historically been perceived as economic burdens (Gallagher, 1995), dangerous (Schmitt, 1999), asexual (Milligan & Neufeldt, 2001; Olkin, 1999), negatively perceived (Antonak & Livneh, 2000; Byrd & Elliott, 1988), helpless/dependent (Livneh, 1991), having sinned and weak (Bickenbach, 1993), and marked for sterilization and/or death (Gallagher, 1995).
Conversely, relatively little has been done with regards to assessing children's attitudes, and available studies in this area have generally focused on preschoolers perceptions of disabilities (Diamond & Hesteness, 1996; Diamond, Le Furgy, & Blass, 1993; Smith & Williams, 2001; Stalker & Connors, 2004). In addition, several studies have shown that both children and adults share similar attitudes or perceptions; for example, having a more positive attitude toward persons with physical disabilities than those with developmental or psychiatric disabilities (Ashman, 1984; Furnham & Pendred, 1983; Woodward, 1995). However, in specifically searching for studies exploring the attitudes of Hispanic children toward disability, no available research was found.
Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to explore the differential attitudes of primarily Mexican-American children towards a child with a disability versus a child without a disability. Specifically, this study evaluated the attitudinal responses of Mexican-American children between the ages of eight and 12 years towards a photograph of a 10-year-old girl in a wheelchair and a 10-year-old girl sitting in a kitchen chair. The research questions posed were: a) Are there ethnic differences in children's attitudes toward viewing someone with a presumed physical disability versus someone without a visible disability; b) Is there a gender difference in children's attitudes toward viewing someone with a presumed physical disability versus someone without a disability; c) Are there differences in children responses when shown the photograph of a girl in a wheelchair first versus a girl in a kitchen chair; and, d) What preconceived differences do children have regarding viewing a girl in a wheelchair versus one in a kitchen chair in relation to the perceived number of friends one has, prospective career options, prospective relationship options, perceived causality of their situation, school grades, perceived spare time activities, and perceived skills/deficits.
Relevant Literature
Attitude Defined
Plotnik (1996) defines attitude as "any belief or opinion that includes a positive or negative evaluation of some target (an object, person, or event) and that predisposes us to act in a certain way toward the target" (p. 540). Attitudes have a cognitive, behavioral and affective component which may not necessarily be congruent with one another. Many persons behave in socially desirable ways so as to not draw criticism from members of society. For example, an individual who perceives persons with disabilities as economic burdens to the welfare system (cognition), may be overly cordial and friendly when encountering someone with a visible disability on an elevator (perceived as a behavioral gesture of a positive attitude), however, may have strong negative feelings toward this population (affect).
Wyer and Lambert (1994) define "person perception" as the process by which people form impressions and make judgments about the traits and characteristics of others. These perceptions involve evaluating an individual's physical appearance and rationalizing why an individual looks, dresses, and appears as he/she does. Person schemas are formed where we then attempt to fit an individual into some pre-existing stereotype we have about the population in question. Subsequent to deriving certain formulations with regards to our impressions, we may then behave in certain ways toward such an individual(s).
Problems with Attitude Assessment
Several researchers have focused attention on how attitudes are measured and inherent researcher bias regarding attitude measurement toward disability (Antonak & Livneh, 2000; Wright, 1988). Wright (1988) for example, has criticized researchers studying attitudes toward disability in several ways. She emphasized how researchers tend to make the disability the most salient aspect of the study design without accounting for other factors that help form attitudes such as education, vocation, socioeconomic status, physical appearance, stranger status, etc. Wright further argues how people typically tend to rate relationships with a stranger more negatively than with someone they know, as is often the case in many attitude surveys. She also cited how many attitude surveys have negative loaded questions (e.g., "Should persons with disabilities pay more for auto insurance?") which carries a negative connotation regarding the driving abilities of persons with disabilities. Finally, Wright argues that researchers focus on obtaining statistically significant results pertaining to the differences between those with/without disabilities in order to publish their findings. Conversely, the belief that non-significant findings may not be publishable can lead researchers to discard such results; a practice which Wright argues negates the similarities between persons with/without disabilities. Similarly, Antonak and Livneh (2000) have been critical of the over...
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