The Effect of Exposure to a Professor With a Visible Disability on Students' Attitudes Toward Disabilities

Abstract

An exploratory study was conducted on a small convenience sample of undergraduate social work students. The Modified Issues in Disability Scale was used to collect data on attitudes toward disability. There was no statistically significant difference in the attitudes scores among students who had different levels of contact with persons with disabilities. There was, however, a statistically significant difference between students who had a professor with a disability and those who did not. The former had more positive attitudes toward disability. These findings suggest that schools of social work should recruit more professors with disabilities.