Rather than embracing difference as a reflection of wider society, academic ecosystems seek to normalise and homogenise ways of working and of being a researcher. As a consequence, ableism in academia is endemic. However, to date no attempt has been made to theorise experiences of ableism in academia. "Ableism in Academia" provides an…

The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensionality of the "Contact With Disabled Persons Scale" (CDP). An exploratory factor analysis of the CDP yielded three factors: General Interpersonal Contacts, Positive Contact Experiences, and Negative Contact Experiences. A confirmatory factor analysis provided further evidence for the stability…

Alignment has been defined as the extent to which curricular expectations and assessments are in agreement and work together to provide guidance for educators' efforts to facilitate students' progress toward desire academic outcomes. The Council of Chief State School Officers has identified three preferred models as frameworks for evaluating…

The intersection of mixed methods and social justice has implications for the role of the researcher and choices of specific paradigmatic perspectives. The transformative paradigm with its associated philosophical assumptions provides a framework for addressing inequality and injustice in society using culturally competent, mixed methods…

The authors support role changes for educational practitioners who work with children and youth with disabilities as they make important transitions. Principles from critical pedagogy and disability studies are summarized to provide a new theoretical framework to support role changes. Rather than needs-based services that focus on helping those…

Since the 1970s, Italy has had a national policy of integrating nearly all students with disabilities into the general education classroom. As a result, many advocates of inclusion in the United States have identified Italy as an excellent example of how wide-range inclusion can be accomplished. However, some U.S. and Italian educators have…

A survey of executives (n=341) responsible for hiring decisions found generally positive attitudes toward persons with severe disabilities and their employability, both in terms of advantages for the individual and lack of disadvantages for others in the work setting. Executives with previous contact with persons with disabilities had the most…

Meta analysis of 273 investigations concerned with the modification of attitudes toward persons with disabilities revealed equivocal results possibly due to methodological deficiencies (study quality ratings were low) or to the complexity of human attitudes. (Author/DB)

This narrative study examined teachers' perceptions of their inclusive classrooms. Eight early childhood teachers responded to open-ended interview questions about their experiences teaching children with and without disabilities in the same classroom environment. The social constructivist view of teaching and learning is highlighted as the…

This study evaluated attitudinal discrepancies among non-disabled community members regarding the acceptability of socio-sexual expression for persons with and without mental retardation. Overall, discrepancies between adults with and without mental retardation primarily concern attitudes toward marriage and parenthood. Older adults, both…

The monograph provides a review of research studies over the past 25 years which have made use of the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) Scale. The report focuses on pertinent information about the scales, their psychometric properties, and the multitude of ways they have been used. An introductory chapter looks briefly at the history of the…

Psychometric analyses of data from 230 individuals yielded a 29-item 4-scale revision of the original 50-item 5-scale Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory. Results showed adequate item characteristics; adequate reliability and homogeneity; adequate reliability, homogeneity, specificity, and independence of the four scales; and initial validity…

This study compared the perceptions of 20 normal peers of the nonspeech characteristics of 8 dysarthric (with cerebral palsy) and 8 normal-speaking children (ages 6-11). Results indicated that the normal speakers were judged much more positively than the dysarthric speakers. Implications for the mainstreaming of children with dysarthric speech are…

The Test of Knowledge about Mental Retardation was developed to measure attitudes, not knowledge. It consists of 20 error-choice items requiring respondents to select one of four incorrect alternatives. An additional 20 questions address general knowledge of mental retardation. Psychometric analysis indicates satisfactory item characteristics,…

This study compared attitudes toward disability of 148 Arab and 124 Jewish high school students in Israel. Results found a significant effect of cultural affiliation with Jewish youth expressing more positive attitudes than their Arab counterparts. Findings were related to possible differences in psychodynamic processes motivating attitudes in the…