Affiliations: Federal University of São João del-Rei,
São João del-Rei, Brazil | Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais,
Brazil
Note: [] Corresponding author: Maria Nivalda de Carvalho-Freitas, Rua
Felipe Marchetti, 80, Vila Marchetti, 36.307-248, São João Del-Rei,
Minas Gerais, Brazil. Tel.: +55 32 9981 3302; Fax: +55 32 3379 2457; E-mail:
carvalhofreitas@mgconecta.com.br
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Quota Law in Brazil determines that the
organizations with over 100 workers must hire people with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this investigation was to verify the willingness
of future professionals to work with people with disabilities. PARTICIPANTS: A survey was conducted with 341 Brazilian university
students. METHODS: The following factors were taken into account: the
Quota Law favorability (attitude); the conceptions about disability (beliefs);
the evaluation of consequences (positive or negative) which the individual
attributes to the fact of working with people with disabilities; and the
perception of the level of difficulty to insert these people (beliefs about
control). RESULTS: Three patterns of willingness have been identified:
willingness guided by the focus on the disability; willingness
guided by the instrumental focus; and willingness guided towards
accessibility. It has also been verified that these forms of willingness were
associated to the perception of difficulties in inserting people with
disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: These results empirically reinforce the
fact that part of the difficulties in inserting people with disabilities is
found in the social environment and conditions, suggesting that these aspects
need to be taken into account in the studies on attitudes towards people with disabilities.
