The Disability Models in the Perspective of Parents, Teachers, and Special Needs Educators: A Qualitative Data Analysis

Abstract

Representations of disability shaping the opinions, attitudes, and behaviour of 90 participants (teachers, parents, and special needs educators) are investigated in order to better evaluate the spread of the biopsychosocial model proposed by the ICF. The quasi-experimental purpose was investigated through both qualitative analyses and by quantitative analyses. The results demonstrate a richness of perspectives on disability much broader than the medical, social, and biopsychosocial ones. The limited diffusion of the biopsychosocial model among parents shows the lack of an 'open view' towards personal empowerment, social growth, and improvement of the quality of life. This suggests a priority: The need to further involve parents in the educational actions, in order to promote an effective management of personal and environmental resources to better face the disability of their own children. In such a way it would be possible to develop and promote a new 'culture of diversities'.

Parents’ Education Shapes, but Does Not Originate, the Disability Representations of Their Children

“…The most socially acceptable statements in Italian culture are, without doubt, wording that reflects the social model of disability rather the individual model [ 4 , 39 ]. The Italian legislature has promoted social inclusion of people with disability (Law 517/77) for more than 40 years; meanwhile, twenty-two years of integration of students with disabilities at all school levels (Law 104/92) [ 50 ] have widespread a social model of disability.…”

“…These models have influenced the education of children from the time children enter primary school. While the individual model, much like creationism, seems intuitively plausible [ 4 , 25 , 38 , 39 ], the social model, developed as a reversal of the individual model, is as counterintuitive as evolution [ 25 , 40 – 43 ].…”

Implicit bias toward people with disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…Implicit attitudes toward general disability using methods other than D -score interpretation were measured in nine studies. For example, using latencies to interpret IAT results, participants were significantly quicker to associate “disabled” with “bad” and “nondisabled” with “good,” suggesting an implicit bias toward disability or a preference for nondisabled (Federici & Meloni, 2009). Implicit bias was also reported as a comparison between groups or time points.…”

“…Of the studies that found a significant effect of contact on implicit bias, the results were mixed. For example, relatives of PWD had significantly higher negative implicit bias associating disability with illness than those without relatives with disabilities, suggesting those who had personal contact with PWD had a greater negative implicit bias (Federici & Meloni, 2009). In another study (Galli et al, 2015), individuals with spinal cord injury reportedly held the same negative implicit bias toward people in wheelchairs as the general population.…”

“…Alongside negative implicit attitudes, PWD were also found to be associated with negative implicit stereotypes such as “outcasts,” “child-like,” incompetent, and cold (Clément-Guillotin et al, 2018; Federici & Meloni, 2009; McDonnall & Antonelli, 2018; McDonnall et al, 2019; Robey et al, 2006). Implicit stereotypes may be better predictors of behaviors in specific settings.…”