Do people with disabilities feel excluded? Comparision of learning and physical disabilities

Kendall Goodrich; Rosemary Ramsey

Kendall Goodrich Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor of Marketing, Raj Soin College of Business, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
Rosemary Ramsey Ph.D, Professor of Marketing, Raj Soin College of Business, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Keywords: learning disability, physical disability, attitudes, orientation, social, exclusion

Abstract

Little prior research has examined attitudinal differences between those with learning and physical disabilities, but an enhanced understanding can be critical to institutions in order to better work with people across a range of disability types. There are expected to be specific differences in disability attitudes between people with physical and learning disabilities. People with physical disabilities are hypothesized to report greater feelings of exclusion, pride, and social activism, whereas people with learning disabilities will have a greater tendency to value treatment assistance from doctors. Hypotheses were generally supported. Attitudes of people with physical disabilities are often different from those of people with learning disabilities, a distinction that requires understanding, acknowledgment, sensitivity and appropriate interaction.