Challenging attitudes towards people with impairment within the UK and Chilean workplace

Abstract

Public attitudes have an impact on social and personal experience, often affecting the way in which individuals act or behave towards other people in particular situations. Therefore, this study attempts to cross-culturally examine how people’s judgements towards people with disabilities impact on stigmatising people with disabilities within the UK and Chilean workplace. As a result, using a two sequential mix method design, the first instance, a qualitative phase, was to construct a model of disabling attitudes and the second, a quantitative phase to test the FIC model developed. Results confirm that people’s attitudes arise from a circle of permanent stigmatization, which is activated by factors (activators) categorised in three dimensions according to the ABC model of attitude structure. That is Functional prejudice, Institutional discrimination and Cultural stereotypes. In addition, activators included into the FIC model confirm that the UK and Chilean people have strong prejudices about people with disabilities’ functionality, that is people in both countries make an strong connection between having an impairment and the ability to be productive at work. Likewise, in both countries, cultural stereotypes have influenced people’s attitudes from negative and positive emotions that are not necessary going in the expected direction if the aim is to include people with impairment at work. Functional prejudices and cultural stereotypes create a type of discrimination, that most people believe to be positive. However, positive discrimination, rather than increasing the inclusion of people with disabilities at work, is creating a permanent circle of stigmatization in which people with disabilities have a lot say to change people’s attitudes.