The measurement of the Hong Kong-based 'Baseline Survey of Students' Attitudes toward People with a Disability': cross-cultural validation in Lebanon

The negative attitudes of nondisabled persons are among the most serious invisible barriers to the full participation and integration of disabled citizens into society. A big question is, 'what is the current level of acceptance and recognition of disabled persons in a given society, and what kind of public awareness interventions shall be devised to promote positive changes?'. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the level of the existing attitudinal barriers in a war-torn, middle-income Arab country, Lebanon. The study attempted to determine the present level of prejudice against people with a disability in Lebanon, and to examine the relationship between the participants' attitudes, and their previous exposure to and personal experience with disability. An instrument, the 'Baseline Survey of Students' Attitudes toward People with a Disability', developed by the Equal Opportunity Commission of Hong Kong, was selected as the instrument. A total of 94 valid questionnaires were collected from three universities in Beirut, Lebanon. This instrument was able to differentiate the participating students' attitudes toward people with different types of disabilities. The scale and its subscales showed that students generally had less favorable attitudes toward people with intellectual impairment and mental illness (including the ex-mentally ill). The participating Lebanese university students (an older age group than the Hong Kong students) are more differentiating in their attitudes toward people with the two most-discriminated categories of disabled people (the intellectually disabled and those with mental illness history). The cross-cultural validity and reliability of this instrument has been confirmed, and the major findings of this study could inform future policy directions, public awareness-raising strategies and social interaction variables to foster positive public attitudes in Lebanon.