Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Shelly Stroud

Publication Date

2023

Scholarship Domain(s)

Scholarship of Discovery

Abstract

Background: Previous research shows the rate of crime against people with disabilities is significantly higher than the general population. Despite this, gaps in the training and resources for officers to assist those with disabilities may exist. Eadens et al. (2008) explored this issue by evaluating officer attitudes towards intellectual disabilities. Kankakee County has a significant disabled population, and Illinois is ranked very low in the improvement of related policies, making this a valuable area of interest.

Methods: This study utilized the modified version of the Social Distance Questionnaire (SDQ) used by Eadens et al. (2008), which is both qualitative and quantitative. The survey was sent out to the five police departments in Kankakee County, and it received 37 responses. Data was coded in Microsoft Excel, and statistical tests were run through R Studio.

Results: Though distributions varied, the resulting mean scores trended toward the higher end of the SDQ scale, indicating more positive attitudes toward people with disabilities. Additionally, the evaluation of training and average survey scores as grouped by department suggested a positive correlation. However, due to the sample size these and other results did not meet the threshold of statistical significance.

Conclusions. Kankakee County’s participating officers appeared mostly to have positive attitudes towards intellectual disabilities. A positive correlation may exist between the officers’ scores and the amount of disability training they have received. To determine this, a study with a larger sample must be conducted.

Comments

To see the Scholar Week presentation, please visit https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/scholar_week_events/2023/schedule/17/

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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