Implicit and explicit attitudes toward people with physical disabilities in clinicians, rehabilitation assistants, and other occupations: A comparative study

ObjectiveAbleism is rooted in attitudes that influence behaviors and decisions toward people with disabilities. To assess whether these attitudes vary by occupation, we compared the preferences for people with or without physical disabilities between clinicians, rehabilitation assistants, and individuals in other professions. MethodsData from 213,191 participants, collected online through Project Implicit, were analyzed, including 6445 clinicians, 3482 rehabilitation assistants, and 203,264 individuals in other occupations. Implicit attitudes were assessed using D-scores derived from the Implicit Association Test. Explicit attitudes were assessed using a Likert scale. Regression models were conducted to examine the association between occupation groups and attitudes toward people with and without physical disabilities, while controlling for demographic variables. ResultsClinicians and rehabilitation assistants showed both an implicit and explicit preference for people without physical disabilities. Implicit attitudes of clinicians and rehabilitation assistants were equivalent to those in other occupations. Compared to other occupations, clinicians had less favorable explicit attitudes toward people with physical disabilities, whereas rehabilitation assistants had more favorable ones. Older age, male sex, and no personal experience of disability were associated with less favorable attitudes toward people with physical disabilities. Associations with education, race, geographic region, and year of data collection were also observed. ConclusionsThis study provides evidence suggesting the persistence of ableist attitudes among clinicians and rehabilitation assistants. Moreover, implicit attitudes were similar to those of other occupations, while explicit attitudes of clinicians were even slightly less favorable. ImpactOur findings suggest that despite ongoing educational shifts toward more inclusive approaches, the longstanding framework of disability as an abnormality to be normalized may still affect healthcare practitioners. This underscores the need for continued efforts to address ableism not only in healthcare, but throughout society, by promoting disability-inclusive education and training.