Let's Take a Walk! Fostering Inclusion One Step at a Time

Abstract

Negative attitudes towards intellectual and developmental disabilities can be a significant barrier to social inclusion. The current study examined 24 college students' experiences from participating in Let's Take A Walk!, a 10-week inclusive intervention program on their college campus. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine changed in attitudes from pre to post intervention and explore college students' reported experiences. The Attitudes Towards Intellectual Disability Questionnaire (Morin, Crocker, Beaulleu-Bergeron, & Caron, n.d.) was used to measure attitudes of college students toward intellectual and developmental disabilities. Results revealed a decrease in negative attitudes and a significant increase in positive attitudes in comfortability, pity, knowledge of capacity and rights, and interaction. Qualitative focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of college students. Seven salient themes emerged from the qualitative analysis 1) A New Experience; 2) A New Understanding; 3) Relationship with Walking Partner; 4) Positive Impact; 5) Positive Energy; 6) A Sense of Community; 7) Engaging with the Public. Qualitative data were analyzed through a social inclusion lens, based on the framework of social inclusion provided in Simplican Leader, Kosciulek, and Leahy (2015). Students reported experiencing deep levels of social inclusion as they created strong friendships with their walking partners and as Let's Take A Walk! became part of their college campus community. The results of this study suggest that everyone can benefit from social inclusion, and that creating opportunities for social inclusion on college campuses could be a way to combat barrier to social inclusion in society.