Pages: 75-85

Abstract

Introduction. Prejudice is a negative unjustified attitude towards a group and its members based only on their membership in the group. There is an inferior and merciful attitude towards children with disabilities, their parents and their staff. This conclusion comes out by interviewing 100 random people: 30 parents of those children, 20 staff members and 50 people from community. Study’s aim: Awareness of the community on some forms, causes and consequences of prejudice towards: children with disabilities, their parents and the staff treating them in order to reduce prejudice on this social group. Methodology: The instuments used in this study were: observation on vertikal grill realised in the children’s environments, structured interviews with the parents and staff of the focus group. The focus group was organised with specialists by civil society, the center of social service and homologue centers. Results: According to SPSS, 60% of parents think that prejudice happens because of lack of information. 55% of the them think that lobbying serves to protect the children’s and parents’ rights. 20% think that prejudice ruins relationships in a couple as one of the parents has to quit his/her job to look after the child. 30% of them do not believe in the professional skills of the training staff. 45% of the interviewees in the community think that prejudice decreases if the children are educated in normal kindergardens and schools. 50% of staff related the prejudice on them to the poor culture of the prejudising people, and 40% of them consider the psychological educative technique as an instrument for promoting the harmonious co-living. Conclusion: Collaboration, lobbying from parents, civil society, specialists who work with the children and media, reduce prejudice. Applying the Convention of the Rights of Children with mental disabilities and the approval of the Integrated Law, would help in reducing prejudice. Children have different abilities but they have equal rights just like the other children. Inclusion accelerated the psycho-social rehabilitation and integrated the children with disabilities.