Social representations about the person with disabilities of Higher Level students in Mexico

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify the different expressions of students from three universities in the interior of the country. Through the use of the theory of social representations is shown a range of different terms around the subject of the person with disabilities. The institutions where the information was collected are from different social spaces, one of the assumptions within this theory is the need for spatial diversity to identify representations. The sample comprised 193 students from three institutions. The methodology consisted in responding to an association of words, and at the end of assigning a weighting to their responses. Subsequently, the technique of natural semantic networks was used to analyze expressions and find the most significant ones. The responses indicated an important representation of student acceptance. However, the context played a substantial factor, because in the rural areas marked a distance and rejection. Contrary to what happens in the cities and tourist areas, where the Disabilities Persons is more accepted.