Psychometric Evaluation of the Attitudes to Disability Scale for Use With Nurse Educators

Background and Purpose: This article tests the construct validity of the Attitudes to Disability Scale (ADS) for use with nurse educators. The ADS was designed to assess the attitudes of people with disabilities and the general population. Methods: The responses of 126 nurse educators were analyzed using multivariate statistics. Results: Reliability analysis of the original ADS factors yielded Cronbach's alpha of .655, .689, .781, and .621 (Inclusion, Discrimination, Gains, and Prospects, respectively). Principal component analysis confirmed factors Discrimination and Gains and identified two new factors. Principal axis factor confirmed Discrimination and Gains and defined one new factor (Opportunity) with a Cronbach's alpha of .73. Conclusions: The original form ADS is not reliable for use with nurse educators although a modified version may prove suitable.