Dissertation

Kinesiology Students' Attitudes and Perceptions of People with Disabilities

Ableism, or the systemic inequality imposed onto people with disabilities (PWD), is a rampant problem in U.S. society. Ableism is particularly problematic within the allied health fields in which PWD often experience marginalization and lack of quality care. One area of intervention is to examine the education of future allied healthcare practitioners in fields that prepare aspiring health and wellness advocates, including Kinesiology (KIN). The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions toward PWD among KIN students and to determine what their experience might reveal about ableism in KIN education. A qualitative design utilizing semi structured interview with phenomenological approach was employed. Through the use of Disability Critical Race Studies, or DisCrit, 20 KIN students were interviewed regarding their perceptions and attitudes towards PWD and their experiences in KIN education in relation to the topic of disability. Interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis yielded three themes: (1) Prejudice towards PWD, (2) Discrimination towards PWD, and (3) Structural ableism within KIN education. Participants expressed many positive beliefs about PWD, yet closer analysis revealed use of deficit language, microaggressions, discrimination, and ableism within KIN curriculum. This study makes a significant contribution to scholarship by highlighting that KIN students' might possess ableist attitudes and perceptions towards PWD that are not challenged and might be perpetuated by their exposure to able-bodied curriculum. Further, this study highlights the need to raise awareness of ableism within KIN, the importance of disability cultural competency, and the need to develop anti-ableist KIN education.

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