שולחן עגול בנושא סטיגמה

1. “Equal in Uniform": Its impact on
attitudes of soldiers without
disabilities toward soldiers with
intellectual disabilities
Dr. Shirli Werner
Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and
Social Welfare, Hebrew University
Research funding: The Shalem Fund for Development of Services for People
with Intellectual disabilities in the Local Councils
Beit Issie Shapiro's 6th International Conference on Disabilities:
Unity and Diversity in Action
July 7-8, 2015 – Tel-Aviv, Israel

2. • Current legislation and policies advocate for full and
effective social inclusion and community participation
of all individuals with disabilities (including ID).
• In Israel, military service is a mandatory and
normative civil obligation. It is integral for integration
within the Israeli society.
• Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as a “national melting
pot”.
• However, individuals with ID are usually exempt from
military service.
Background

3. Equal in Uniform
Since 2007, the project “Equal in Uniform” has brought
to the recruitment of individuals with ID.
Project partners:
•(1) Akim Israel
•(2) Ministry of Social
Affairs and Social
Services
•(3) IDF

5. • Data in this study collected from 9 training programs
across the country.
• 117 individuals began the programs
• 110 finished the training program
• 86 moved to volunteer (24 dropped)
• 57 meet criteria to enlist (26 dropped + 3 await)
• 43 already drafted, 9 about to be drafted (5
dropped)
• 22 have finished military service
Equal in Uniform in numbers

6. Equal in Uniform
Aims
(1) Opportunity for people with
ID to enlist and complete
regular and meaningful military
service.
(2) Enhance self-esteem and
confidence.
(3) Psychological benefits to
other family members.
(4) Change in societal
attitudes towards individuals
with ID.
Rationale:
(1) Allow people with ID to
take part in this central
life experience
according to their
abilities and needs.
(2) Bring contact between
people with ID and
others within the
Israeli society.

7. 239 Soldiers without ID (130 female)
Average age 20.3 (Range 18-45)
154 were familiar with a soldier with ID
Subjective knowledge in ID: M=2.75 (from 1 to 5)
Methods: Participants

8. Self-complete questionnaire:
1.Attitudes toward soldiers with ID: Based on the
Multidimensional Attitudes Scale (Findler et al.,
2007): vignette, 13 cognitive items, 19 affective
items, 10 behavior items, 4 social distance items
Imagine the following situation: “Joseph and a few
friends went for lunch within their military dinning
room. While they are speaking, a soldier with ID that
Joseph is not familiar with joins the crowd. A short
introduction is made between the two, following which
all other friends have to leave. Joseph needs to wait
15 more minutes for a friend”.
Methods: Instrument

9. 2. Attitudes toward allowing people with disabilities
to serve within the IDF?
3. Attitudes toward the inclusion of soldiers with ID:
12 items
4. Familiarity with soldier with ID, subjective knowledge
in ID
5. Background information
Methods: Instrument

10. Type of
disability
Soldiers with
familiarity
Soldiers without
familiarity
Mild physical
disability
3.76 3.37*
Intellectual
disability
3.78 2.76***
Deafness 3.12 2.56**
Severe physical
disability
3.09 2.60**
Epilepsy 3.07 2.60**
Blindness 2.76 2.29*
Mental illness 2.36 1.94**
Results: Support of service of people with
disabilities (t-test)

11. Results: Correlations with knowledge and
familiarity (R)
Degree of familiarity with a soldier with ID Subjective
knowledge
in ID
Wish for
more
knowledge in
ID
Positive thoughts .25** .15* .35***
Not understanding social situation
Negative affect -.22*
Withdrawal Behavior -.18* -.17*
Helping and accepting Behavior .39*** .28***
Social closeness .49*** .19** .44***
Support of service .21* .32***
Important to integrate soldiers w/ID .36*** .19* .45***
Soldiers with ID similar to others .26*** .14*
Need to separate soldiers with ID -.31*** -.30***

12. Results: Correlations between attitudes
toward soldiers and attitudes towards their
inclusion in the IDF (R)
Important to
integrate
soldiers with
ID
Soldiers
with ID
are similar
to others
Need to
separate
soldiers
with ID
Positive thoughts .51*** .45*** -.31***
Not understanding social
situation
.10 .06 .11
Negative affect -.15* -.10 .20**
Calm affect .15* .08 -.13*
Withdrawal behavior -.25*** -.15* .26***
Helping and accepting behavior .36*** .28*** -.31***
Social closeness .62*** .42*** -.58***
Support of service .57*** .37*** -.41***

13. Results: Hierarchical regression predicting
behavior (4th
step)
Withdrawal
(β)
R²=34.4%
Helping +
accepting
(β)
R²=40.4%
Social
closeness
(β)
R²=56.2%
Wish for more knowledge -.07 .05 .11±
Positive thoughts -.14 .44*** .17*
Not understanding social situation .16* -.00 -.01
Negative affect .38*** -.10 .08
Calm affect -.02 -.03 .04
Important to integrate soldiers
w/ID
-.12 .00 .17*
Soldiers w/ID are similar to others .04 .02 .13*
Need to separate soldiers with ID .04 -.09 -.33***
Support of service .01 .11 .13*

14. • Inclusion within IDF had a
positive influence on
attitude change.
• Familiarity resulted in
reduction of fear and
social discomfort in
meetings.
• Support that social
contact is the most helpful
intervention for attitude
change.
Discussion

15. • IDF is a central body in the Israeli society. Including
soldiers with ID is a social statement of these
individuals being an integral part of society.
• As most individuals in Israel serve in the IDF, this is
an opportunity for meeting with wide sectors of
society.
Discussion

16. Conclusion
• Contact should be carefully planned with
different soldiers with ID and those that
contradict common stereotypes.
• Extend the program.
• Results should be seen in light of interviews
with soldiers with ID + commanders.
• Is full social inclusion possible?
• Is it more useful to integrate soldiers with
ID on their own or within a small group?
• What types of roles should be provided to
soldiers with ID to be considered equal?

18. Out in 2016
Left Out:
Intellectual Disability & Stigma
Katrina Scior & Shirli Werner (Eds(
Palgrave Macmillan