Nurse practitioners' and students' attitudes towards people with disabilities.

Abstract

This article reports the results of assessments of nurse practitioners' and nursing students' attitudes toward people with disabilities. Findings of three projects that used the Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale suggest that Australian nurses' and nursing students' attitudes are more positive than those of the general population and that nurse education strategies are effective in promoting positive attitudes. These findings contrast with the results of overseas studies which indicate that health professionals' attitudes toward people with disabilities are negative and unaccepting.