Experiences matter: Educators’ attitudes toward disability in higher education

Abstract

This study investigated 128 post-secondary educators’ attitudes toward disability at a college and a university in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The participants completed the Educators’ Attitudes toward Disability Scale (EADS) and a demographic questionnaire that included questions about their experiences with disability. There were three research questions at the heart of this study: (1) What are post-secondary educators’ overall attitudes toward disability? (2) Do demographic factors predict post-secondary educators’ attitudes toward disability? (3) Does exposure to people with disability predict post-secondary educators’ attitudes toward disability? The findings of this study suggest post-secondary educators hold overallpositive attitudes toward disability and there were very few differences observed between groups (e.g., based on age, gender, discipline, etc.). Educators’ experiences with people who have a disability, however, were positively associated with their attitudes. This factor included personal experiences (e.g., friends, family, etc.), but also professional experiences (e.g., students in their classes).

“What Do We Have to Do?” Community College CTE Faculty Perceptions, Preparedness, and Propositions in Supporting Disabled Students’ Employment Opportunities

“…These unfavorable attitudes reinforce a cycle of harm harbored by faculty across generations, one where students’ disabilities are questioned (Hong & Himmel, 2009) and some disabilities are viewed less harshly than others (e.g., physical disabilities, compared to mental health, as shown in Sniatecki et al, 2015). Yet not all faculty perceptions of disability are defined by ignorance and negativity (Freer & Kaefer, 2021; Lipka et al, 2020). In fact, faculty with connections to the disability community, by virtue of relatives, friends, and past students, often hold increased knowledge and more favorable attitudes (Freer & Kaefer, 2021).…”

“…Yet not all faculty perceptions of disability are defined by ignorance and negativity (Freer & Kaefer, 2021; Lipka et al, 2020). In fact, faculty with connections to the disability community, by virtue of relatives, friends, and past students, often hold increased knowledge and more favorable attitudes (Freer & Kaefer, 2021).…”

Actitudes hacia las personas con discapacidad

“…Mientras algunos autores se han inclinado por una definición limitada del concepto, otros teóricos conciben el concepto de actitud como un término que abarca diferentes componentes (Arias et al, 2013;Freer, 2022). Así, la definición aportada por Triandis (1971) trata la actitud como un determinante principal que influye en el comportamiento y es una de las más aceptadas, especialmente en el ámbito de las actitudes hacia la discapacidad (Freer, 2022;Freer y Kaefer, 2021). Dicha definición infiere la existencia de varios componentes: una idea (componente cognitivo), una emoción vinculada a la idea (componente afectivo) y una predisposición/tendencia (componente intencional) a la acción (componente conductual).…”