The Effect of an Intervention on College Students’ Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities and Self-Directed Mobility

ABSTRACT

This study delivered an intervention that included education, contact by video, an environmental assessment and reflection activity, and hands-on experiences via a university course that centred on the Go Baby Go programme. Go Baby Go involves modifying off-the-shelf, battery-operated, ride-on cars for young children with disabilities to use for self-directed mobility. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 10-week course on college students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities and self-directed mobility. Participants included 78 college students enrolled in an Honours College course related to disability (intervention group: n = 40) or unrelated to disability (control group: n = 38) and completed the Attitudes towards People with Disabilities Scale and Self-directed Mobility Scale before and after a 10-week course. The intervention included education, contact by video, an environmental assessment and reflection activity, and hands-on experiences. Participants in the intervention group displayed more favourable attitudes towards people with disabilities (p < .01) and self-directed mobility (p < .001) compared to the control group, following the intervention. Attitude interventions that include education, contact by video, an environmental assessment and reflection activity, and hands-on experiences may be a viable paedological strategy for promoting favourable attitudes towards people with disabilities and self-directed mobility.

KEYWORDS:

• Attitudes
• disability
• experiential learning
• higher education
• intervention
• mobility

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.