| The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of community college students toward persons with disabilities and to see if certain personality characteristics made a person more or less likely to have a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward a person with a disability.;One hundred fifty-five students at a central Florida community college participated in this study. The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) was used to study personality traits. The Situational Scale-Handicapped (SAS-H) was used to determine a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward persons with disabilities. A demographic questionnaire solicited additional information including gender, ethnicity, political affiliations, religion, and type of community in which the participant was raised. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, and percentages), correlation, and analysis of variance (ANOVA).;The results revealed significant statistical support for the relationship between gender and attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Relationships were also demonstrated among political affiliations, personality characteristics, and attitudes toward persons with disabilities.;The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire, when correlated with the SAS-H, showed that people who exhibit the following personality characteristics have a more favorable attitude toward persons with disabilities: warmth, emotional stability, liveliness, rule-consciousness, social boldness, openness to change, and extraversion. People with more negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities exhibit the following characteristics: anxiety, tension, and self-reliance.;Recommendations for future research include exploring the effects and implications of the gender of people who hire persons with disabilities, examining effects of age and views toward persons with disabilities, reviewing the effects of school-wide curriculum pertaining to persons with disabilities, and analyzing the attitudes and personality traits of politicians who have influence to pass and create laws. |
