The studies were conducted by telephone using emotional disturbance, juvenile delinquency, and mental retardation as the handicapping conditions. Only four verified negative responses were received out of a total of 92 people surveyed. (DLS)

This study investigated play behaviors in 30 pairs of children with and without disabilities. Children without disabilities perceived children with disabilities as playmates, but noted that limitations in communication and behavior problems made it difficult to maintain fuller friendship. (Contains references.) (Author/PB)

This article explores key differences between special education legislation in England and Scotland and their implications for delivering consistent anti-discrimination policies. It is argued that close monitoring of the implementation of Part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act in English and Scottish schools is necessary. (Contains…

Interviews with 11 high school-aged students with physical disabilities found participants felt driving would add freedom, independence, and responsibility to their lives and increase their educational, employment, and recreational choices. Most preferred to be included in high school driver's education, however, enrollment was either delayed or…

This article discusses court cases and other sources on each of four major topics regarding federal disability discrimination laws and claims made by post-secondary students with learning disabilities: (a) Which students are entitled to the protection of the statutes, (b) What if any deference should be afforded academic institutions in their…

Investigates whether preschool children (N=120) had a realistic understanding of the limitations imposed by various orthopedic disabilities (OD). Results indicated that preschoolers were aware that OD may impose some physical limitations. Subjects also tended to perceive able-bodied children as more capable of performing various tasks than…

Business administration students evaluated a hypothetical job applicant who was either an amputee, an epileptic, or "normal." The hypothetical job openings varied as to levels of supervisory responsibility and public contact. With some noted exceptions, the handicapped applicants were evaluated no differently than the normal applicants.…

A study involving police officers in Western Australia (n=138) and Pennsylvania (n=168) revealed that officers responded differently to crimes involving persons with mental retardation. In some cases, police were more tolerant of the disability, in others they were less tolerant. Response patterns were not different for Australian and Pennsylvania…

Examined the relationship between characteristics of nonhandicapped adolescents and their attitudes toward the handicapped. Characteristics which were significantly associated with acceptance of the handicapped included gender, ethnicity, chronological age, school achievement, moral development, popularity, and overall peer acceptance.…

The study was an attempt to construct an attitude scale to measure the radical psychosocial or libertarian position about "mental illness" and mental health practices. The factor analysis defined four scale factors: mental illness mythology, antimedical model, social deviance control, and anti-coercive treatment. (Author)

Job applicants were evaluated by a worker already on the job. Workers were told that the applicant was an ex-mental patient or that he was an ordinary applicant. Studies revealed that women are more accepting of former patients than men. Men were more accepting of female than male ex-patients. (Author/BEF)

Data presented in this paper suggest that mentally retarded males are more likely to be institutionalized than retarded females, and that males tend to be institutionalized at earlier ages and for milder disorders. (Author/EB)

Seventeen Supreme Court Judges, District Court Judges, and Magistrates in Western Australia were surveyed to examine perceptions concerning overrepresentation of individuals with intellectual disability in the criminal justice system. The judiciary felt these individuals had several characteristics that would disadvantage them in contacts with the…

This comparison of the attitudes of 78 employers, who identified traits needed by either handicapped workers or workers in general, found no significant differences in ratings of the importance of various traits. (DB)

Analysis of a sample of 84 speech acts in everyday discourse referring to mental retardation identified four themes: (1) the discourse of category membership, (2) the dichotomy of normal and abnormal, (3) issues of place and space, and (4) fear. Results suggest how speech acts construct mental retardation and devalue individuals with the label.…