The University of New South Wales’ Social Policy Research Centre has found that Australian attitutdes towards people with a disability are still largely negative.

 

The research project, which investigated public attitudes on disabilities, found that younger, more educated people and those with a personal familiarity with disability have more positive attitudes; people were more comfortable dealing with disability than with psychiatric illness; negative attitudes of both teachers and students are a barrier to inclusive education; and employer misconceptions stop people with a disability or mental illness gaining employment.

 

Co-author, Associate Professor Karen Fisher, said the most significant finding was the lack of understanding of the impact these negative attitudes have on people’s lives.

 

“There is a research gap in this area,” she said. “One of the reasons that change is slow in Australia is because we are not acknowledging that our approach is piecemeal.”

 

The report found that New Zealand and the UK have more strategically invested in campaigns to change attitudes and conduct regular surveys to measure the change. The introduction of the ABC’s online forum, Ramp Up, last year is an example of where Australia is also making positive moves.