Beyond Sight: Exploring the Impact of a Multifaceted Intervention on Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors towards Persons with Visual Impairment

Sergiu Burlacu, Davide Azzolini and Federico Podestà

No 2024-03, FBK-IRVAPP Working Papers from Research Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies (IRVAPP), Bruno Kessler Foundation

Abstract: We evaluate a multi-faceted intervention aimed at improving social inclusion and reducing prejudice against individuals with visual impairment. The intervention, randomly assigned to upper-secondary school students, consists of an awareness-raising activity and a simulationbased inter-group contact activity. While we find positive effects on knowledge of visual impairment, perspective-taking and empathic concerns, and general societal attitudes toward persons with visual impairment, no improvements are observed in terms of implicit attitudes or multidimensional attitudes. Moreover, the intervention does not improve outcomes measured through incentivized choices, such as the willingness to pay for social interaction with persons with visual impairment, beliefs regarding their performance and outcomes in various domains, and altruism towards them. The evidence suggests that assessing impacts only on knowledge and general attitudes, as is commonly done in the literature, may not suffice to determine the extent to which such interventions are successful at improving social inclusion for persons with visual or other forms of impairment.

Keywords: Disability; Social Inclusion; Discrimination; Inter-group contact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I24 I31 J14 J18 P36 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-ure
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