Published: 2008-06-30

Historical and Contemporary Attitudes of Society Toward the Handicapped

Monika Gazdulska
Seminare. Learned Investigations
Section: Socio-pedagogical sciences
https://doi.org/10.21852/sem.2008.25.21

Abstract

The literature on special pedagogy says that throughout history attitudes towards disabled people had been extremely different. Looking back on the period of tribal communities and ancient time we notice hostility to people with disabilities that led to elimination of the disabled from social life. Looking through the various times throughout history we notice that viewing disabled people in disadvantageous light has been positively changing. Literature of the present day gives three different kinds of social attitudes towards the disabled: negative attitude – attitude of rejection, ambivalent – positive and negative at the same time, positive attitude – attitude of acceptance. Social attitudes have different character, are not permanent and undergo transformations in both historical and contemporary depiction. Spreading the know ledge about people with disabilities has undoubtedly decive influence on changing attitudes towards the disabled. That beads to recognizing the disabled as people with the some desires, wishes, feelings, thoughts and problems as each of us have.

Keywords:

person with a disability, society, attitude: positive, negative, ambivalent, acceptance, rejection, indifference, evaluation of a person

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Gazdulska, M. (2008). Historical and Contemporary Attitudes of Society Toward the Handicapped. Seminare. Learned Investigations, 25, 281–288. https://doi.org/10.21852/sem.2008.25.21

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