Prejudices Towards Children with Limited Abilities

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Child Development Center in Tirana and the community close to
it. Prejudice is a negative and unjustifiable stance toward a group and its members based only on
their membership in the group. A pity and undervalue stance is kept towards parents, working staff
and disable children. Such conclusion is drawn from interviewing 100 persons: 30 disable children
parents, 20 working staff and 50 people from community randomly selected. Community sensitivity
on some of the forms causes and consequences of prejudices towards children with limited abilities,
their parents and working staff and making people conscious in reducing prejudices toward this
social group. Vertical grill observation conducted in children environment, structured interviews
conducted with parents and working staff and focus group were the used instruments. The focus
group was organized in cooperation with specialist of the area from civil society, Social Service and
homologues centers. Analysis with SPSS program, shows that 60% of parents think that cause for
prejudices is lack of information. 55% think that lobbying serves to defend children and parents
rights. 20% think that prejudices ruin couples relationships. 20% of them think that one of the
parents should leave their job to serve their children. 30% do not believe in professional abilities of
the working staff. From the interviewers in community, 45% think that prejudices are reduced if
children are educated in public education systems. Working staff (50%), connect the causes for
prejudice to the low general intellectual level of people and 40% of them see to education
psychological technique as means of promotion for harmonious co-existence. Cooperation, parents,
civil society, centers working staffs and media reduce prejudice. Ratification of Disabled Children
Rights Convention and approval of Integration Law would help in reducing them. Children are
different in abilities but equal to the rights as their others.