Reducing stigmatizing attitudes towards disability in a community setting: a mixed methods study

This study aimed to quantify levels of negative stigmatizing attitudes towards disability before and after a 90-min panel discussion involving healthcare professionals and individuals with a disability. The panel discussion event was free and open to the public and took place on a local college campus. Five panelists included a dentist, occupational therapist, nurse practitioner, dermatologist with a disability, and a consumer of healthcare with blindness and diabetes. Attendees included college students, faculty and community members. The Attitudes to Disability Scale was utilized to assess the difference in disability attitudes among participants. Surveys were collected from 52 of 61 attendees (85% response rate). Respondents included students, community members, and college faculty. Despite low pre-survey scores (M = 18.85, SD = 9.72) in respondents, a 45.7% decrease was seen at post survey (M = 10.23, SD = 5.12), indicating a decrease in negative stigmatizing attitudes towards disability (p < .001). Results indicate that there was a significant reduction in the level of negative stigmatizing attitudes towards disability, supporting the continuation of such events. Continued efforts are encouraged to minimize the effect that negative attitudes towards disability have on service practices and decisions made by healthcare professionals concerning individuals with disability.