Attitudes Toward Handicapped Students

First Published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Many handicapped children are now being treated and educated in the mainstream of society. Therefore it is important for professionals to be knowledgeable about the attitudes of societal members toward these students. This text is a thorough and invaluable sourcebook on how attitudes are formed, measured, and changed. An extensive discussion about professional, peer, parental and sibling attitudes toward a class or family member, and reviewing methodologies for change are provided.

Whilst legislation may have progressed internationally and nationally for disabled people, barriers continue to exist, of which one of the most pervasive and ingrained is attitudinal. Social attitudes are often rooted in a lack of knowledge and are perpetuated through erroneous stereotypes, and ultimately these legal and policy changes are ineffectual without a corresponding attitudinal change. This unique book provides a much needed, multifaceted exploration of changing social attitudes toward disability. Adopting a tripartite approach to examining disability, the book looks at historical, cultural, and education studies, broadly conceived, in order to provide a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to the documentation and endorsement of changing social attitudes toward disability. Written by a selection of established and emerging scholars in the field, the book aims to break down some of the unhelpful boundaries between disciplines so that disability is recognised as an issue for all of us across all aspects of society, and to encourage readers to recognise disability in all its forms and within all its contexts. This truly multidimensional approach to changing social attitudes will be important reading for students and researchers of disability from education, cultural and disability studies, and all those interested in the questions and issues surrounding attitudes toward disability.

The evil prosthesis of Captain Hook, the comical speech of Porky Pig, and the bumbling antics of Mr. Magoo are all examples of images in our culture which can become the basis of negative attitudes and subliminal prejudice towards persons with disabilities. These attitudes influence and underlie discriminatory acts, resulting in negative treatment and segregation. A teacher's ability to recognize and counter such images may well determine the success of inclusion and mainstreaming programs in our schools and society. Well-researched and well-written, this book offers practical guidance as grounded in solid research to schools that are wrestling with how to mainstream children with disabilities.

Twelve papers address issues of attitudes towards handicapped persons. The authors were invited to summarize and critically evaluate the literature in their area of expertise, including their own research. Contributions touch on measurement and methodological issues as well as other topics. The following papers are included: "Attitudes and Attitude Change in Special Education" (R. Jones and S. Guskin); "Perspectives and Issues in the Study of Attitudes" (H. Triandis, J. Adamopoulos, D. Watts); "Approaches to the Measurement of Attitude" (R. Dawes); "Sociometric Research in Special Education" (D. MacMillan and G. Morrison); "Classroom Learning Structure and Attitudes toward Handicapped Students in Mainstream Settings: A Theoretical Model and Research Evidence" (D. Johnson and R. Johnson); "Attitudes toward Mentally Retarded Children" (J. Gottlieb, L. Corman, R. Curci); "Attitudes toward the Learning Disabled in School and Home" (B. Reid); "Children's Attitudes toward Emotionally Disturbed Peers" (C. Chiba); "Attitudes toward the Physically Disabled" (J. Siller); "Attitudes of Educators toward the Handicapped" (J. Jamieson); and "Modifying Attitudes toward the Handicapped: A Review of the Literature and Methodology" (A. Towner). (CL)

Print+CourseSmart