Masters Thesis

Oppression: perception of disability on a college campus

People with disabilities in the U.S. comprise the largest minority group (Paul, 2000) with a greater disability prevalence among minority groups (National Council on Disability, 1993). Much of the research on disability attitudes is focused on the perspectives from non-disabled individuals, rather than persons with disabilities. This qualitative study used open-ended survey questions to learn how disability was understood and perceived on a public university campus in California. A survey was developed and distributed online, and over 400 responses were submitted. A subset of questions and responses from those who identified as having a disability were analyzed using methods consistent with grounded theory. Additionally, the researcher analyzed his own lived experience as a Latino man with a disability within the same conceptual categories that emerged from survey data analysis. Findings indicated an array of conceptual categories, mostly linked to internal and external oppression. Many of the responses were rooted in a medical, deficit paradigm. Its potential impact on the respondents� sense of self is critically discussed. Although individuals arrive at post-secondary institutions with unique histories that have shaped their perceptions, implications from this research testify of the need for higher institutions to more effectively address the manner in which disability discourse is being brought into the classroom setting and social life on campus.

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