Enhancing Attitudes of College Students Towards People with Intellectual Disabilities Through a Coursework Intervention

A limited amount of previous work has investigated the effects of course-based disability awareness programs in promoting attitudes towards people with disabilities. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 10-week course on university students’ (N = 42) attitudes towards individuals with intellectual disabilities. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated through quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative results showed significant improvements in the participants’ attitudes (i.e., Empowerment and Similarity) after the intervention. Qualitative findings provided some support for the quantitative results and provided reasons for the attitudinal improvements. Overall, the results suggested that the course-based intervention program improved university students’ attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities.