The Japanese Journal of Special Education

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The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of community information and attitudes of persons, living in an urban setting, toward the handicapped and to find the relationship between their level of knowledge and prejudice against the handicapped. Two questionaires were the instrument used. The first asked whether the persons would agree with the judge's decision of "not guilty" to a murder case that a malformed baby was killed by its mother in Belgium in 1962. The second made a simplified description of various charactristics of the mentally retarded and asked what people do about them. The total sample was 1,476 subjects consisted of parents of the handicapped, teachers of public school and of school for the mentally retarded, students of womens' college, the general public, etc. Findings were the following: (1) the handicapped were evaluated unfavorably by the Ss, (2) about 60 per cent of them agreed with the judge's decision of "not guilty", (3) Ss having previous contact with the handicapped and having full understanding were more favorably disposed toward the handicapped than Ss who were prejudiced against these unhappy persons, and (4) about 30 per cent of total sample took up the position that the handicapped should be devised a means of euthanasia. In order to take a fair view of the handicapped for people, we have to carry out the plan that general kindergarteners and parents train normal children not having prejudice against the handicapped, but having right evaluation for man's worth, and that we give persons accurate information on characteristics of the handicapped through adult-education.

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