A Pilot Study Investigating Implicit and Explicit Attitudes toward People with Disabilities among Orthotics and Prosthetics Educators

Background: Negative attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWD) persist in healthcare, contributing to poorer outcomes, widening disparities, and reduced quality of care. The orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) profession sits at the intersection of disability and functional independence, with clinicians working closely with PWD to promote mobility and improve daily functioning. Yet, the presence of disability-related attitudes within O&P remains largely unexplored. Objectives: The objective of this pilot study was to quantify the explicit and implicit attitudes toward PWD among O&P educators. As an exploratory objective, this study examined whether educator characteristics were associated with levels of implicit and explicit attitudes. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: An online survey was performed with educators at credentialed U.S. O&P graduate programs. Participants completed demographic questions, the Symbolic Ableism Scale to assess explicit attitudes, and the Disability Attitudes-Implicit Association Test to measure implicit attitudes. Data were analyzed using one-sample t -tests and regression models to examine associations between demographic variables and attitude scores. Results: A total of 25 individuals completed the survey. Explicit attitude scores (mean = 0.33, SD = 0.12) indicated a moderate preference for people without disabilities (PWoD), which was significantly different from no preference ( P < 0.001). Implicit attitude scores (mean = 0.44, SD = 0.40) reflected a moderate preference for PWoD, which was significantly different from no preference ( P < 0.001). Men demonstrated greater preferences for PWoD than women ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Findings reveal explicit and implicit attitudes favoring PWoD among O&P educators, emphasizing the need for interventions to foster inclusive educational environments within O&P graduate programs. Clinical Relevance Statement: Disability attitudes among O&P educators may influence health equity and future clinicians’ perspectives. This study’s finding of moderate preferences for PWoD highlights the need to evaluate the resources and curricular content currently used in O&P education to address these biases.