Perceptions of Disabilities: a Multidimensional Scaling Approach

Abstract

Using INDSCAL (Individual Differences Scaling), the author investigated perceptions of disabilities of special education teachers, regular teachers, and nonteachers under conditions of undefined and defined disabilities. The perceptual spaces obtained were all multidimensional in nature, with the differences among them reflecting various degrees of complexity as well as specific types of contrasts used. The differences among the separate perceptual spaces notwithstanding, they share a common core that reflects a tripartite classification of disabilities, namely cognitive impairments, physical impairments, and behavioral-emotional disorders, as well as a generalized contrast between so-called normal and disabilities. Substantive implications of the findings are discussed in relation to current attempts to mainstream the handicapped.