Changes in Perceptions of Japanese University Students toward Disability: A Mixed Methods Study

The present study aimed to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative effectiveness of an undergraduate course entitled, 'What is disability?' Specifically, we measured changes in perceptions of Japanese freshmen towards people with disabilities (PWDs) using the Disability Social Work scale, and what they learned from the course. In total, 18 freshmen university students (8 females, 10 males; mean age, 18.5 years; age range, 18 to 21 years) collectively majoring in literature, education, medicine, law, economics, engineering, and pharmacology registered for the course. Pre- and post-tests showed significant improvements in the participants' perceptions of disability rejection, psychological distance from disability, and the idea that PWDs are incapable of managing tasks. A qualitative analysis yielded two conceptual categories, changed perceptions towards disability and PWDs and gaining new perspectives on disability and PWDs. The first category consists of three subcategories (trivialising disability, increasing psychological proximity towards disability, and 'do PWDs really want our support?') and the second category consists of two subcategories (recognising dichotomy of difficulty and capability in disability and recognising his/her own ableism).