Measuring Implicit Biases About Disability: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Implicit biases about disability contribute to discriminatory behaviors and explicit attitudes toward people with disability, an issue that is of significant importance for rehabilitation researchers. The current study reviewed existing measures of implicit disability biases published between 2000 and April 2022. The search was conducted among seven databases, five major rehabilitation counseling journals, and relevant references in the retrieved articles. A total of 66 studies were identified and reviewed. Results showed that the implicit association test (IAT) was the most frequently used measure of implicit disability biases. A few studies used priming tasks, inhibition tasks, and other tasks based on rating scales to measure implicit disability biases. The strengths and limitations of the measures are discussed, and recommendations for rehabilitation practitioners, educators, and researchers are provided.