Millennial attitudes toward disability in three social contexts

Abstract

ABSTRACT Thirty years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), millennial generation young adults have been raised in an era of legally mandated inclusion for people with disabilities. Millennials have enrolled in inclusive public-school classrooms, have traveled through ADA-compliant infrastructure, and have had employment in ADA-protected spaces, yet the extent to which their attitudes have been shaped by this socioecological context is not comprehensively understood. Integrating perspectives from the social model of disability and socioecological theory, the goal of this study is to provide insight into millennial perceptions and attitudes toward people with disabilities in three contexts: workplace/employment, education, and social relationships, including neighborhood, dating/marriage, and childbearing. Analyzing survey data from a sample of 745 undergraduate students, aged 18–34 years, collected at a Hispanic Serving Public Institution in South Texas, the study tests differences within the sample by sociodemographic characteristics, exposure to, and contact experience with people with disabilities. The results show that millennial adults have experienced widespread direct or indirect interactions with people with disabilities. Furthermore, exposure to disability, particularly meaningful contact experiences, generally correlates with positive attitudes across the three contexts, with few significant sociodemographic differences. These findings indicate that the new practices of inclusion mandated by the ADA are having their desired effects in promoting fundamental and integrated social acceptance.