2020-10-202020-10-202020-082020-08August 202https://hdl.handle.net/2346/86567Acceptance and inclusion are an integral part of life for all individuals but are not as easily achieved for those with disabilities including blindness. Investigating aspects of attitudes toward disabilities is necessary so that proper interventions may occur to remove barriers between those who are able-bodied and persons with disabilities. Based on existing research, several hypotheses have been put forth to suggest which factors may play a role in an individual’s willingness to enter into a social exchange or degree of relationship with a person who is disabled (those with various physical disabilities, intellectual or cognitive disabilities, those with visible disabilities, and those with invisible disabilities, to name a few). This quantitative study borrowed from the works of several researchers to create a survey and tool to investigate the impact of attitudes toward disabilities, social desirability of responses, and comfort level of social distancing between the participants and persons who are blind or visually impaired. The key finding of this study was in the development of a visual impairment-specific measurement of attitudes which were directly correlated to affect, behavior, and cognition. While it was found that social distancing played a role in these attitudes, the remaining findings of the study were not statistically relevant. Additionally, no statistical relationship was found between students in helping and non-helping fields in relationship to their attitudes toward blindness, nor was prior exposure to persons with disabilities a meaningful factor. Qualitative findings were also explored as a means of furthering the research into attitudes toward disabilities including blindness.application/pdfengBlindnessVisual impairmentDisabilityAttitudeSocial desirabilitySocial distanceThesis2020-10-20Unrestricted.