“Equal in Uniform": Its impact on attitudes of soldiers

without disabilities toward soldiers with intellectual

disabilitiesDr. Shirli Werner Paul Baerwald School of Social Work

and Social Welfare, Hebrew University

Research funding: The Shalem Fund for Development of Services for People with Intellectual disabilities in the Local Councils

Beit Issie Shapiro's 6th International Conference on Disabilities: Unity and Diversity in Action

July 7-8, 2015 – Tel-Aviv, Israel

• Current legislation and policies advocate for full and effective social inclusion and community participation of all individuals with disabilities (including ID).

• In Israel, military service is a mandatory and normative civil obligation. It is integral for integration within the Israeli society.

• Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as a “national melting pot”.

• However, individuals with ID are usually exempt from military service.

Background

Equal in UniformSince 2007, the project “Equal in Uniform” has brought to the recruitment of individuals with ID.

Project partners: •(1) Akim Israel•(2) Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services•(3) IDF

• Data in this study collected from 9 training programs across the country.

• 117 individuals began the programs• 110 finished the training program• 86 moved to volunteer (24 dropped)• 57 meet criteria to enlist (26 dropped + 3 await)• 43 already drafted, 9 about to be drafted (5

dropped)• 22 have finished military service

Equal in Uniform in numbers

Equal in Uniform

Aims(1) Opportunity for people with ID to enlist and complete regular and meaningful military service.

(2) Enhance self-esteem and confidence.

(3) Psychological benefits to other family members.

(4) Change in societal attitudes towards individuals with ID.

Rationale: (1) Allow people with ID

to take part in this central life experience according to their abilities and needs.

(2) Bring contact between people with ID and others within the Israeli society.

239 Soldiers without ID (130 female)

Average age 20.3 (Range 18-45)

154 were familiar with a soldier with ID

Subjective knowledge in ID: M=2.75 (from 1 to 5)

Methods: Participants

Self-complete questionnaire:1.Attitudes toward soldiers with ID: Based on

the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale (Findler et al., 2007): vignette, 13 cognitive items, 19 affective items, 10 behavior items, 4 social distance items

Imagine the following situation: “Joseph and a few friends went for lunch within their military dinning room. While they are speaking, a soldier with ID that Joseph is not familiar with joins the crowd. A short introduction is made between the two, following which all other friends have to leave. Joseph needs to wait 15 more minutes for a friend”.

Methods: Instrument

2. Attitudes toward allowing people with disabilities to serve within the IDF?

3. Attitudes toward the inclusion of soldiers with ID: 12 items

4. Familiarity with soldier with ID, subjective knowledge in ID

5. Background information

Methods: Instrument

Type of disability

Soldiers with familiarity

Soldiers without familiarity

Mild physical disability

3.76 3.37*

Intellectual disability

3.78 2.76***

Deafness 3.12 2.56**Severe physical disability

3.09 2.60**

Epilepsy 3.07 2.60**Blindness 2.76 2.29*Mental illness 2.36 1.94**

Results: Support of service of people with disabilities (t-test)

Results: Correlations with knowledge and familiarity (R)

Degree of familiarity with a soldier with ID

Subjective knowledge in ID

Wish for more knowledge in ID

Positive thoughts .25** .15* .35***Not understanding social situationNegative affect -.22*Withdrawal Behavior -.18*

-.17*

Helping and accepting Behavior .39***

.28***

Social closeness .49***

.19** .44***

Support of service .21* .32***Important to integrate soldiers w/ID .36***

.19* .45***

Soldiers with ID similar to others .26***

.14*

Need to separate soldiers with ID -.31***

-.30***

Results: Correlations between attitudes toward soldiers and

attitudes towards their inclusion in the IDF (R)Important

to integrate soldiers with ID

Soldiers with ID are similar to others

Need to separate soldiers with ID

Positive thoughts .51*** .45*** -.31***Not understanding social situation

.10 .06 .11

Negative affect -.15* -.10 .20**Calm affect .15* .08 -.13*Withdrawal behavior -.25*** -.15* .26***Helping and accepting behavior

.36*** .28*** -.31***

Social closeness .62*** .42*** -.58***Support of service .57*** .37*** -.41***

Results: Hierarchical regression predicting behavior (4th step)

Withdrawal (β)

R²=34.4%

Helping + accepting (β)R²=40.4%

Social closeness (β)R²=56.2%

Wish for more knowledge -.07 .05 .11±Positive thoughts -.14 .44*** .17*Not understanding social situation

.16* -.00 -.01

Negative affect .38*** -.10 .08Calm affect -.02 -.03 .04Important to integrate soldiers w/ID

-.12 .00 .17*

Soldiers w/ID are similar to others

.04 .02 .13*

Need to separate soldiers with ID

.04 -.09 -.33***

Support of service .01 .11 .13*

• Inclusion within IDF had a positive influence on attitude change.

• Familiarity resulted in reduction of fear and social discomfort in meetings.

• Support that social contact is the most helpful intervention for attitude change.

Discussion

• IDF is a central body in the Israeli society. Including soldiers with ID is a social statement of these individuals being an integral part of society.

• As most individuals in Israel serve in the IDF, this is an opportunity for meeting with wide sectors of society.

Discussion

Conclusion

• Contact should be carefully planned with different soldiers with ID and those that contradict common stereotypes.

• Extend the program.• Results should be seen in light of interviews

with soldiers with ID + commanders.• Is full social inclusion possible?• Is it more useful to integrate soldiers with ID

on their own or within a small group?• What types of roles should be provided to

soldiers with ID to be considered equal?

Out in 2016 Left Out :

Intellectual Disability & Stigma

Katrina Scior & Shirli Werner (Eds)

Palgrave Macmillan