Maintenance of ableist society for wheelchair users: roles of medical model of disability and witnessed negotiation for accessibility

Abstract

The present study tested an integrated model of the maintenance of the ableist social system toward wheelchair users. The model focuses on the endorsed medical model of disability, and the witnessing of negotiation for environmental accessibility by people without disabilities. A cross-sectional sample of 821 university staff members and students from Hong Kong without self-reported disabilities completed a self-report questionnaire. Structural equation modeling obtained a satisfactory model fit (comparative fit index = .96, Tucker-Lewis Index = .95, root mean square error of approximation = .05, standardized root mean square residuals = .06). The findings inform remedial approaches to addressing ableism toward wheelchair users at cultural, social, mass media, and education levels. The study also calls for the development of more quantitative measures of the perceptions of people without disabilities toward disability models, environmental in/accessibility, and collective actions for social inclusion for further empirical research on ableism.

Points of interest

• This study attempts to fill the gap of research on discrimination and stereotypes against people with disabilities. It examines perspectives of people without disabilities toward wheelchair users and environmental barriers.

• For people without disabilities, their experiences of witnessing wheelchair users trying to negotiate environmental barriers is related to their stereotypes against wheelchair users.

• For people without disabilities, their experiences of witnessing wheelchair users trying to negotiate environmental barriers is related to their stereotypes against environmental accessibility.

• For people without disabilities, their experiences of witnessing wheelchair users trying to negotiate environmental barriers is related to their behavioral tendency to take part in advocacy for an inclusive society.

• This study recognizes the need to develop more measurements and survey tools for assessing the perceptions of people without disabilities. The tools should assess perceptions of people without disabilities toward disability, environmental accessibility, and behaviors of promoting social inclusion.

Keywords:

• Stigma
• ableism
• people with disabilities
• universal design
• social inclusion

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all participants. We would also like to thank Prof. Helene H. L. Fung, Prof. Darius K. S. Chan, and Prof. Sandra K. M. Tsang for their valuable comments on the earlier draft of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Data availability statement

The data are not publicly available because the data contained information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

The present research was part of the doctoral dissertation of the first author (Gloria Y. K. Ma) who gratefully acknowledges the financial support by the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (PF13-16534) offered by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, as well as the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowships for Disabled Students 2014/15 offered by the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund for pursuing the doctoral programme.