Effects of Exposure to Medical Model and Social Model Online Constructions of Disability on Attitudes Toward Wheelchair Users: Results from an Online Experiment

Building on theoretical foundations from communication and disability studies, we ran an online experiment to study the influence of online constructions corresponding to the medical and social models of disability on attitudes toward wheelchair users. We recruited students from a public university in the Mediterranean region and, after a pretest on their attitudes toward wheelchair users, we had them read social media posts and online news items that corresponded to the medical model (medical experimental group), the social model (social experimental group) or were neutral (control group). The participants received the stimuli via email during a five-day period after the pretest and were then posttested. Pro-social stimuli produced a significant mild change in the expected direction, while the corresponding effect of pro-medical stimuli was not significant. Both social and medical group posttest means were significantly different from the control group posttest mean, suggesting that exposure to online constructions based on both models influences attitudes toward disability. A repeat posttest, administered one week after the posttest, showed stability of the observed changes. The study adds to the limited existing knowledge about the influence of online constructions on attitudes toward persons with disabilities.