Investigating O&P Educators' Biases Toward People with Disabilities

Exploring Disability Bias in Orthotics and Prosthetics Education:
This poster presents findings from a pilot study investigating explicit and implicit disability biases among U.S. orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) educators. Given their influential role in shaping future clinicians, understanding educators' attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWD) is critical for improving healthcare outcomes.
Using the Symbolic Ableism Scale (SAS) and the Disability Attitudes-Implicit Association Test (DA-IAT), researchers assessed bias levels among 25 education members. Results revealed statistically significant preferences for people without disabilities in both explicit and implicit measures.
These finding underscore the need for targeted bias-awareness training in O&P education to foster more inclusive care environments for PWD.