Attitudes toward individuals with disabilities: results of a recent survey and implications of those results.

Researchers handed a short survey to 129 people at a disability conference. They asked how warm, capable, and equal they saw people with disabilities.

The sample was mostly women and younger adults. No one was paid; they just filled it out between sessions.

Most circle marks landed on the nice side of the scale. Women and younger adults gave the warmest ratings.

The authors read this as generally positive attitudes in the room.

Wilson et al. (2014) looked at 18 studies that used a speed-sorting test called the IAT. They found most people, even teachers, carry hidden negative thoughts about disability. The new survey only asked what people were willing to say out loud.

Freeman (2006) asked kids the same kind of questions. Older children gave colder scores, especially toward peers with intellectual disability. The grown-ups in this survey were sunnier, showing attitudes can shift with age.

Patka et al. (2013) ran the same survey in Pakistan and got similar warm scores from staff and college grads. The pattern of women and higher-educated people scoring higher repeats across countries.

Your next inservice might start with a quick IAT so staff see their own blind spots. Pair that with stories from self-advocates to turn polite smiles into real respect. If you train kids, start early; attitudes harden fast after fourth grade.