Ensuring psychological safety for people with disabilities, taking into account gender and age characteristics

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the psychological safety of people with disabilities and other subjects of the educational environment is the leading characteristic that determines its developmental nature. The aim of this study was to examine the students’ opinion about the capabilities and abilities of people with disabilities or impairments (PWDs) and the formation of a tolerant attitude towards them, i.e. their social and psychological safety. Materials and methods. The study was carried out on the basis of the Voronezh State Industrial and Humanitarian College (Russian Federation). 1000 people took part in the survey (among those were 46.3% of male and 53.7% of female). Methods of study: questionnaire; the Spearman correlation coefficient analysis; principal component method; semantic analysis. Results. The problem of psychological safety for people with disabilities was partially covered at the stage of the ascertaining experiment. The analysis of experimental data obtained as a result of the survey showed that at the time of the survey 77.7% of respondents by gender (42.2% – men, 35.4% – women) treat people with disabilities as ordinary people, recognizing their skills, dignity and abilities. 12.6% of respondents treat PWDs as people in constant need of help (6,8% – men, 5,8% – women), 4.8% of respondents feel sorry for PWDs (2,5% – men and 2,3% – women). Conclusion. The results of the factor analysis revealed the main factor, i.e. “tolerant attitude towards people with disabilities”, which does not depend on the age or gender characteristics of the respondents. Usually this attitude is formed as a result of communication with them (i.e. with persons with disabilities). All respondents intend to treat people with disabilities as equal who deserve to live like everyone else, and at the same time as people with additional (special) needs not impairments.