Attitude Changes Following Participation in Disability Simulation Activities

Authors

  • Alexis McKenney Temple University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2018-V52-I3-8543

Keywords:

attitudes, disability simulations, inclusion, study abroad, recreational therapy

Abstract

Attitudes directed at people with disabilities by people without disabilities are formed through encounters with people with disabilities and are mediated by the characteristics of each person and what occurs during their interactions. Disability simulation activities are used to help positively affect people’s attitudes and levels of empathy. The purpose of this study was to examine 10 participants’ changes in attitudes toward people with disabilities that occurred as a result of participating in disability simulation activities held during an inclusive recreation services study abroad program. A three-phase mixed-methods research design that included the use of transformative procedures was used. The social model of disability served as the theoretical lens for this study. The quantitative component involved the administration of two scales pre- and post-test: The Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) scale and the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) scale. Quantitative results indicated that participants’ experienced positive attitude changes in 12 of the 16 emotions as measured on the MAS and four emotions as measured on the ATDP. Statistical significance was not found for the other examined emotions. Qualitative data were collected using an in-depth thematic analysis of verbal and behavioral responses to participants’ responses to participation in extensive disability simulation activities. Qualitative results showed that the participants transitioned from a sympathetic response to an empathetic response, and then to an advocacy response. This transition demonstrated the potential for the emergence of a model specific to guiding participants through disability simulation activities. Suggestions for research and for facilitating effective disability simulation activities within or outside of recreational therapy practice are presented.

Subscribe to TRJ

Author Biography

Alexis McKenney, Temple University

Professor

Therapeutic Recreation Department

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2018-08-20

Issue

Vol. 52 No. 3 (2018)

Section

Quantitative Papers

License

Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)

Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors

PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.

I understand that by submitting an article to Therapeutic Recreation Journal, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in Therapeutic Recreation Journal to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the Therapeutic Recreation Journal, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).

THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

Assignment of Copyright

I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.

Reversion of Rights

Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.

Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes

I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.

All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact Sagamore-Venture for further information.

In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.

Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.

Author Representations

  • The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
  • The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
  • I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
  • If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.