Long-term Impacts of the ‘Respect Together Program’ on Nursing Students’ Attitudes and Communication Skills Toward Disabilities

This study explores the long-term effects of the "Respect Together Simulation Program" an educational initiative designed to enhance nursing students' Attitudes toward people with disabilities, Disability awareness, Empathy, and Interpersonal communication competence toward people with disabilities through direct interaction.Recognizing the critical role that healthcare professionals' attitudes toward people with disabilities play in delivering equitable healthcare services, the program aims to foster empathy and reduce stigma.Using a nonequivalent control group posttest-only design, we evaluated 49 nursing students from D City.Among them, 24 students had previously participated in the Respect Together program.Instruments measured their attitudes toward people with disabilities, disability awareness, empathy, and interpersonal communication competence.Students who participated in the program showed significantly more positive attitudes toward people with disabilities (t = 2.049, p = 0.046) than those who did not.There were no statistically significant differences in disability awareness, empathy, or interpersonal communication competence.One-time programs that combine experiential activities simulating disabilities with direct communication with individuals with disabilities have shown a lasting impact on attitudes toward people with disabilities.This study, observed positive effects on attitudes even 10 months after the program's completion.While no statistically significant differences were observed in disability awareness, empathy, or interpersonal communication competence, the findings suggest that continuous and systematic interactions with individuals with disabilities are essential for achieving sustained effects in these areas.Based on these results, the value of integrating experiential disability education into nursing curricula is emphasized to cultivate compassionate and respectful healthcare providers.