ABSTRACT
Purpose: The majority of children
and young people with disabilities live
in developing countries where they
face inequalities in education and other
opportunities. Negative attitudes constitute
one of the major barriers to the development
of their potential.
The study aimed to describe the attitudes
of students without disability towards their
peers with disability, and to assess the role
that gender and interpersonal contact play in
shaping these attitudes.
Method: A cross –sectional study
involving 107 students was carried out in
secondary school located in rural area of
Maharashtra.
Participants were recruited from a group
of 118 students in the three junior classes
and senior class one. A semi-structured
questionnaire containing items on the
“Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards
Children with Handicaps (CATCH) scale”,
which elicits responses on a Likert scale
numbered 0 to 4 (0- strongly disagree,
4-strongly agree), was administered. Data
analysis was done using Stata version
- Descriptive analysis was carried out
and association between variables was
determined using independent two – tailed
t –tests.