Personal and societal attitudes to disability

The research addresses theoretical and conceptual frameworks dealing with the formation and change of attitudes, cognitive dissonance, positive and negative prejudice, the concept of ‘‘spread’’, overt and covert attitudes and their formation, and the nexus between attitudes and behavior toward disability. Two attitude scales—the interaction with disabled persons and the scale of attitudes toward disabled persons—are reviewed and results of two studies are presented. Major findings are that it is easier to change societal attitudes than personal attitudes. Additionally, the use of contact with a person with a disability was more efficacious in changing attitudes than only information provision. Implications for the practice of hospitality and tourism management service provision are discussed.