Attitudes Toward Israel's Equal Rights for People With Disabilities Law: A Multiperspective Approach.

Abstract

Objective: To examine attitudes toward the new Equal Rights for People With Disabilities Law in Israel among members of specific professional groups. Study Design: An exploratory, descriptive, crosssectional survey, using convenience samples. Measure: The Disability Rights Attitude Scale—Israel (DRASI) was designed. Results: Factor analysis yielded 4 defined factors. The most positive attitudes were found for the factor of punishment, followed by accessibility, governmental support, and, finally, employment. The most positive attitudes were expressed by the social workers and the teachers, followed by the employers, the architects, and the lawyers. Conclusions: Findings shed light on the important role of professional identity in shaping the attitudes toward disability rights. Results may contribute to the development of appropriate rehabilitation and support services. In 1998, the Equal Rights for People With Disabilities Law (1998) was accepted by the Israeli parliament. Following the passage of legislation advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in the United States and other countries, this law is a major milestone, marking the beginning of a process of real legal and social change in Israeli society. The law that has been legislated includes only chapters regarding employment, public transport services, and the establishment of the commission office for the implementation of the Equal Rights for People With Disabilities Law. Issues of accessibility, education, health, leisure time, and more are included in the complete law proposal planned to be legislated in the future. In intention, this law is similar to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA; 1991). It, too, is a declaration that persons with disabilities should be enabled to be equal members of society (West, 1993). Thus, it also shares the ADA’s aim of achieving full inclusion for individuals with disabilities. In this sense, legislation such as Israel’s Equal Rights for Persons With Disabilities Law and the United States’ ADA constitute a clear message that society’s attitude toward persons with disabilities should be one of respect, inclusion, and support (Hernandez, Keys, Balcazar, & Drum, 1998; West, 1993).