This paper presents the results of the project “ISMI - An Intersectional Study on Multiple Inequalities”, carried out to investigates discriminatory attitudes among the Italian population with an intersectional approach (Crenshaw, 1989; Davis 1983; Collins, 2019). This project is part of a larger research project on the evaluation of the quality of school inclusion ("Towards a schoolwide framework for the Evaluation of the quality of School Inclusion: a Pilot project - ESI-P”).

Attitudes towards disability and, more in general, discriminatory attitudes play a very important role in school inclusion processes. International literature addresses this issue extensively (e.g. Schwab, 2018; Boyle, Anderson & Allen, 2020; Cottini & Morganti, 2015). Nevertheless, in our knowledge, there is no instrument which specifically focuses on discriminatory attitudes among school staff or parents with an intersectional approach. Moreover, no study has been conducted on this topic in Italian context.

In this regard, ISMI project foresees the development of a scale that measures “ableist attitude” and its validation to a representative sample of 1.500 Italian people (representative of age, gender and area of ​​residence), together with other three scales on sexism, classism and racism, selected from the literature. This tool, once validated, will be applied in the school context as part of ESI-P project, to detect these discriminatory attitudes in the subgroup made up of school professionals (e.g. teachers, school principals) and other stakeholders (e.g. parents).

The intersectional paradigm sheds lights on the interactions between the structures of power - capitalism, patriarchy and racism - and the social position of individuals in terms of social class, gender and race, offering an analytical framework for theorizing their oppression and marginalization in their everyday lives. This concept has very important implications in the educational field and in the promotion of inclusive education because it allows us to rethink the meanings and practices of teaching and learning through a critical approach. For example, it allows us to grasp the processes of normative construction of the students' ability (in terms of technique, skill,s functioning, etc.) and on how the ability plays a fundamental role in the definition of the "normal" and ‘’capable’’ child/student (Slater and Chapman 2017 ; Goodley 2014; Erevelles 2006).

Several scales have been validated on sexism, racism and classism in the general population but no measure exists to detect ableist discrimination in Italian. Empirical research has focused more on the experiences of discrimination of people with disabilities rather than on the attitudes of those who generate such phenomena. The term ‘’ableism’’ focuses on the social construction of ability, considered as 'taken for granted'  and highlights the way in which expectations and beliefs about the able-bodied/neurotypical privilege are socially constructed, recognized and sustained on a cultural level (Wolbring, 2009; Campbell, 2009). Ability is the most accepted and widespread isms in society  than many other types of prejudice (Kattari, 2019). Therefore, ableism, like other isms - such as racism, classism and sexism - describes discrimination against a social group (people with disabilities) and the effects of how certain ideals, values and beliefs they are valued in daily life. It shapes preferences about a particular body type and self and constructs the way people are classified and labeled as normal / deviant / disabled / sick (Wolbring 2009). For this reason, the development and validation of an ableist attitude scale can facilitate future research that explores the negative repercussions of the ableist  orientation for all people, especially those with disabilities (Bellacicco et al., in press). 

For the development of a tool to detect ableist attitudes, it was chosen to adopt a participatory action research (PAR), through the active involvement of a panel of people with disabilities who are experts in ableist discrimination. The participatory approach was chosen in order to give space to the different points of view and experience lived by the participants ("Nothing about us without us") and to achieve the creation of knowledge from a bottom-up perspective. The Independent Living movement has also been a significant source of inspiration for the development of scientific research that included people with disabilities as active protagonists (Dybwad and Bersani, 1996; Kiernan, 1999; Gilbert, 2004). The emergence of participatory research in the field of disability is therefore not accidental: it developed at the end of the twentieth century on the basis of the movement for Independent Living, which stimulated a radical epistemological shift from previous models adopted by positivist perspectives (Bellacicco et al., in press). Following Nothing about us without us we have involved in a participatory research process a group of people with disabilities, with different types of disabilities (sensory, motor, intellectual, neuro-diversity) and we have conducted seven focus group online (Keller and Galgay 2010). Exactly, in the first phase, the group elaborated two shared definitions of ableism, based on international literature: a short and easy to understand one, with informative purposes, and a longer and more articulated one, which highlights the main manifestations of this phenomena (Bellacicco et al., in press). In the second phase, through the use of personal narration we invited the group to reflect on their experiences of ableism in order to collect several examples of ableist discrimination in their everyday life. Furthermore, the examples have been used to develop the first version of the list of items of the scale on ableist attitudes. Finally, in the last phase, the scale has been overhauled and reduced, until reaching the final version. To validate the spread of ableist attitudes in Italy, in the autumn of 2021, we administered the scale to a sample of 1,500 cases, representative of the Italian adult population, compile the scale developed by the panel. The sample of 1,500 cases, representative of age, gender and area of ​​residence (North, Center, South) was reached with CAWI mode (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing).

During the conference the research team will present the main results of this research project: the definition of ableism, the scale on ableism and its dimensions and, finally, the results of the validation on a representative sample of the Italian population. The study will provide information on discriminatory attitudes in the general population. With reference to ableism, the analysis will describe the relationship between personal aspects (e.g. gender, age, education level, occupation, previous contact with people with disability, impairment, etc.) and discriminatory attitudes towards disability. Specific analysis will take into account the single dimensions of the scale (e.g. inspiration porn, relations, work, accessibility, etc.). Moreover, it will be possible to relate the four scales: classism, sexism, racism and ableism. Although the study is going to be carried out in Italian context, its results could be of interest for the international audience. The instrument is largely made of scales available in English language and the additional scale on ableism, created in Italian, will be provided in English as well. Furthermore, regarding its relevance in the field of inclusive education, it offers a measure that can be used with any kind of stakeholder (e.g. parents, teachers, principals, administration staff), regardless of their educational level or role in the school. Given these characteristics, if applied in school contexts and communities, combined with other instruments (e.g. on students’ wellbeing and participation), I.S.M.I. Questionnaire could provide a more holistic image of the role played by the attitudes of different stakeholders in school inclusion processes.

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