Examination of the short-term impact of a disability awareness training on attitudes toward people with disabilities: A community-based participatory evaluation approach

Background: Worldwide over a billion people live with a disability including 400,000 people in Ecuador. People with disabilities (PWD) face barriers to full participation in society. Barriers are generated by negative attitudes created through socio-cultural experiences. Awareness about disability can be facilitated through disability awareness training (DAT). Studies examining outcomes on DAT exist in high-resourced countries but are nonexistent in Ecuador. Study purposes:1) create a DAT using community input and conduct the training; 2) examine the impact of the DAT on attitudes toward and awareness of PWD; and 3) explore community perceptions regarding the impact of the DAT on action. Methods: Community-based participatory evaluation was employed to design and assess the impact of a DAT with 60 community members from Latacunga, Ecuador. The DAT incorporated a multi-modal approach (interactive discussion, problem-solving, hands-on activities) and was informed by the theory of planned behavior. Data sources were the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale (MAS) (Spanish version) administered pre- and post-DAT and interviews conducted with nine DAT participants. Results: Mann Whitney U revealed significant changes in two of four MAS constructs: emotion p =.005 and cognition p =.003. Five themes emerged from the interviews: 1) view of disability; 2) contact; 3) attitude; 4) training impact; and 5) action. Conclusion: In the short-term DAT may increase awareness of and decrease negative attitudes associated with disability. Effective strategies highlighted for raising awareness and improving attitudes were contact with PWD and education. Education leads to more positive perceptions of the barriers PWD face and their ability to participate in society.