Does an awareness program change attitudes towards inclusion of children with disabilities in summer camps?

Awareness programs are key factors in the development of positive attitudes toward inclusion of children with disabilities in school settings, however there are not any published research on the effect of similar programs in camp settings. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of a three-week disability awareness program on attitudes of children without disabilities toward the inclusion of peers with disabilities in a summer camp. Four hundred sixty one campers without disabilities (M = 13.24 years old, SD = .97) attending a typical summer camp participated in the study. Participants were divided into a control (n = 225, M = 13.45 years old, SD = .90) and an experimental group (n = 236, M = 13.03 years old, SD = .94). The con- trol group followed the typical camp’s program, while the experimental group attended a disability awareness program alongside to the typical program. The disability awareness program was based on the principles and the methodology of the “Paralympic School Day” (PSD) and the “So Get into It” program. Each participant com- pleted a questionnaire based on Theory of Planned Behavior which was designed to measure attitudes toward inclusion of peers with disabilities in a summer camp, intension, perceived behavioral control and sub- jective norms. The results of a 2 X 2 ANOVA (control- experimental, pre-post measure) revealed statistical significant differences favoring the experimental group on attitudes, intention, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms after the awareness program (p < .05). These findings indicate that participation in an awareness program can have a positive influence on children’s attitudes towards the inclusion of children with disabilities in summer camps. Similar programs are recommended to be implemented in other recreational and educational settings in order to develop positive attitudes towards individuals with disabilities.

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