‘Out of the mouths of babes’ – capturing young children's perceptions of disability through the use of diversity dolls

This study utilises diversity dolls to elicit young children's perceptions of visual disabilities. The study which involved 20 participants aged between six to seven years old suggests that although many children have positive attitudes towards peers with physical disabilities, attitudes are often grounded in the deficit medical model, with concepts related to assistive devices, medical causes, social consequences, and dependency. The study contributes to the literature through its use of a child centred method and open discussion, which enabled children to offer their innermost thoughts that might have otherwise remained hidden. Some of the comments gathered were quite derogatory, particularly with regards to facial features, and without disability awareness education children risk carrying negative and hostile views into adulthood. Methods which help to unearth children's core belief structures about disability provide an important foundation on which early years practitioners can build intervention programs which critically examine social inequalities and deconstruct dominant discourses, helping young children to develop positive attitudes towards disability.