Do conceptions about disability matter?

Abstract

Literature indicates that, in relation to people with disabilities, conception can influence directly on attitudes. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the conceptions of disability of professionals who work in networks of services for violence prevention and protection against it. Specifically, the objective was to verify whether there is an influence of contexts, training opportunities and professional performance in the (de)construction of disability conceptions. It is a multi-case design research, of experimental character, with quantitative and qualitative analysis. Ninety-seven professionals from four municipalities of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, participated in the research, who responded to the Disability Conceptions Scale (test and retest). The analysis results indicated that: a) conceptions of disability differ significantly among the municipalities; b) professional categories do not necessarily influence the conception; c) there is greater agreement with the social conception of disability and less agreement with the metaphysical conception, when the analysis does not relate the participants to their respective municipalities. Therefore, identifying conceptions of disability matters as the networks of violence prevention and protection against violence need to go through the process of (de)construction of conceptions, which can enhance or minimize discriminatory attitudes towards people with disabilities.