Attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities: a comparison of young people from British South Asian and White British backgrounds.
British South Asian teens show more exclusionary attitudes toward peers with ID, so weave cultural examples into your inclusion lessons.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sheridan et al. (2013) asked 1,333 British teens to fill out a short survey. Half were South Asian heritage and half were White British.
The survey had 11 items like “People with intellectual disability should hang out with us at lunch.” Kids circled agree or disagree.
What they found
South Asian teens agreed less often. Their average score was 15 % lower than White British teens.
They were especially unsure about letting students with ID make their own choices or join regular classes.
How this fits with other research
Brown et al. (2009) ran a similar survey with college students in four countries. They also saw culture matter: Asian students felt more discomfort than U.S. or U.K. students.
Lee et al. (2021) reviewed U.S. studies and found the same pattern in siblings: South Asian families often feel extra shame around ID. The new British data match that review.
Bassette et al. (2023) show another side of the same coin. U.K. teachers say they lack training for inclusive classes. When staff feel unsure, kids copy the doubt.
Why it matters
If you run social-skills groups or anti-stigma lessons, add culture-specific examples. Invite South Asian parents to speak or share food so peers see shared values. Small steps like this can shrink the 15 % gap Joel found.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research with South Asian families of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) suggests an increased fear of stigma and isolation from the community. Evidence on attitudes towards ID among the wider community is very limited and was the focus of the present study. Responses were collected from 737 college students aged 16-19 using the Community Living Attitudes Scale-ID version. Results indicated that British South Asians (n=355) were less in favour of the social inclusion of people with ID than White British young people (n=382). British South Asian adolescents were more likely to hold the view that people with ID should be sheltered and not empowered. It is proposed that future inclusion policies integrate ethnic minority views whose religious and cultural values do not always conform to the core values of social inclusion policies. It is also proposed that culturally specific school based interventions could be introduced with the aims of decreasing stigma and fostering attitudes in line with the aims of normalisation.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.12.017