What affects the attitudes of college students toward people with disabilities? : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

People living with one or more disability in the United States make up almost one-fifth ofour population (Waldrop & Stern, 2003). Furthermore, because two-thirds of the people living with a disability are between the ages of 16 and 64, policies and programs have been put into place to protect disabled people in the workforce, in public places, and in educational settings (Waldrop & Stern, 2003). Many of these programs and policies are in the beginning stages of implementation, so it is necessary to assess how people without disabilities are reacting to them and the people they serve to help. Social work majors are taught about individual empowerment and equality, and this leads to the research question of Are social work majors more comfortable being around and working with people with disabilities?