This research is set against a background which sees increasing access to mainstream schools among children with disabilities across Europe (e.g., Schwab, 2020). Yet, in spite of this, bias against disabled children is widespread among non-disabled school aged children (e.g., Trepanier-Street et al., 2011).  

Research suggests intergroup contact (i.e., interaction between social groups) is beneficial for children since it improves social relations between individuals from different groups (e.g., Bagci, et al., 2014). For example, research shows that reading in a book that someone from your group has a friendship with someone from another group (i.e., extended contact) is enough to improve children's attitudes towards disabled children (see Cameron et al., 2011). This finding has implications for the inclusion and peer acceptance of disabled children in mainstream schools. Specifically, it suggests that increased representation of disability, increasing children’s contact with disabled children will promote positive responses from non-disabled children towards their disabled peers in mainstream settings.  

In this vein, previous research has indicated that contact in the form of a brief pop-up exhibition and associated resources and activities in schools could similarly change children’s views and discourse in positive ways around disability (Uytman et al. 2022).  These resources have been mapped to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes (Education Scotland, 2019) and tested in five Scottish Schools with 312 children aged 7-11 years. Findings were in line with adult-participant research, showing that art exhibitions positively portraying disability can challenge discrimination and marginalization of disabled people and engage learners in an exploration of ableism in our societies (e.g., Eisenhauer, 2007).  Along these lines, responses to the exhibition from children showed that even in schools not visited by a disabled researcher, children were significantly more likely to say that they knew someone with a disability after the exhibition and activities.  Knowing someone with a disability was associated with more positive attitudes towards disability (for example ‘At school, I would talk to a disabled child I did not know’) Children’s stories also indicated a change in their discourse towards the social model of disability: Ken and I are going to go Go karting! He is so much better than me because he uses his wheelchair everyday. He is so cool. My friend Ken is the best (in writing a story about a disabled Ken doll).   

Whilst the resource pack for schools is effective in its current state, discussion and feedback from teachers, children and other stakeholders throughout the project highlighted the need for their further development in order to increase their usability. Co-creation of resources is increasingly recognized as critical in popular media, leading to a shift towards inclusive processes of both exhibition curation and artistic intervention (Sandell, 2007). To enable co-creation, focus groups sought views from a range of perspectives towards enhancing the accessibility of the resources. We account for accessibility from a practical perspective (i.e., the ease with which school staff can access and use the resources within an educational setting) but also from an inclusive education perspective, to ensure that all learners are able to use the resource regardless of any impairment. With this in mind, the current research took the reach of a pop-up exhibition and resources a step further in its evaluation – to look at ways in which the resources themselves may be improved through close consultation with key parties. Our objectives were twofold; to examine (1) responses of children towards the resources and (2) to explore key stakeholders’ perceptions.

Setting up a series of online and face-to-face focus groups, the project asked disabled children, aged 7-11 years (accompanied by parents), educators and other key stakeholders (e.g., disabled adults, charity representatives, parents of disabled children) about their opinions of the resources as they stood, and about how they could be made both more classroom-friendly, and accessible. Ten participants from each group were recruited via charities, social media and Education networks. Focus groups were arranged with 4-6 participants in each group and were facilitated by two researchers. Each focus group was intended to last for two-hours, allowing time for breaks as needed. Children were accompanied by their parents, who facilitated communication as needed but every effort was made to ensure that the children were participating fully in the focus groups. Prior to taking part participants were sent a full copy of the resources, including images used in the exhibition, the full set of activities and mapping to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. This comprises a 41-page PDF document intended for use in schools with activities and additional information for teachers. Participants were invited to review the pack and respond to a single question in advance of the focus groups: What would be a really good activity to help children understand more about disability? Answers could be given via text, drawing or voice recording and submitted to a secure online dropbox. These answers formed the basis of the initial focus group discussion which continued with discussion of the resources, the language used, and how these could be improved in terms of representation, accessibility and utility. Data from focus groups were analysed thematically to identify aspects of both satisfaction and suggestions for development. These suggestions will now be incorporated into the ongoing development of the resources before being made freely available to teachers and educators via a not-for-profit social enterprise.

Previous findings have shown that existing resources and pop-up exhibition positively affect how children understand, talk about and react to disability. However, there is an awareness of the limitations of the resources in terms of accessibility and utility in a mainstream classroom setting. This study focused on the priorities and needs of the groups most likely to be using these resources in order to maximise their potential. The adaptations suggested through consultation with these participants encourage us to think about the way in which resources and activities are presented to children. We are also encouraged to consider how both disabled and non-disabled children interact with them and to ensure that they are as accessible and as engaging as possible. The language used around discussion of disability is of critical importance. A previous study (Uytman et al, 2022) found a prevalence of medical model understanding in the language used by children to discuss disability before accessing the resources (disability seen as something that needed to be fixed and requiring help from others). Following the exhibition and activities language use moved to a more social model understanding (with discussion of the need for a more accessible environment, and positive examples of achievement). The current study allowed for this focus on language and other aspects of presentation of the resources to be discussed directly and translated into accessible and practical school resources. With the implementation of the third edition of the National Framework for Inclusion in Scotland (Scottish Universities Inclusion Group, 2022) and a focus on broader right-based approach to inclusive education across Europe (Schwab, S. 2020, European Agency, 2022), it is ever more important that schools have access to appropriate resources which allow for a focus on positive representation of disability in order to move schools towards successfully fully inclusive practice.

Bagci, S. C., Rutland, A., Kumashiro, M., Smith, P. K., & Blumberg, H. (2014). Are minority status children's cross‐ethnic friendships beneficial in a multiethnic context? British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 32(1), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12028 Cameron, L., Rutland, A., Turner, R., Holman Nicolas, R., & Powell, C. (2011). " Changing attitudes with a little imagination?: Imagined contact effects on young children? s intergroup bias. Anales de psicología, 27 (3) Education Scotland (2019). Curriculum for Excellence: experiences and outcomes. Retrieved from: https://education. gov. scot/Documents/All-experiencesoutcomes18. pdf. Eisenhauer, J.(2007) Just looking and staring back: Challenging ableism through disability Performance Art, Studies in Art Education, 49(1), 7-22, DOI: 10.1080/00393541.2007.11518721 European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, 2022. Legislative Definitions around Learners’ Needs: A snapshot of European country approaches. (M. Turner-Cmuchal, ed. and A. Lecheval). Odense, Denmark Sandell, R. (2006). Museums, prejudice and the reframing of difference (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203020036 Scottish Universities Inclusion Group (2022) The National Framework for Inclusion, 3rd ed. Edinburgh, UK: The General Teaching Council for Scotland. Retrieved 24 January 2023 from: https://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-standards/national-framework-for-inclusion/ Schwab, S. (2020). Inclusive and Special Education in Europe. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Retrieved 24 Jan. 2023, from https://oxfordre.com/education/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-1230. Trepanier-street, M. , Hong, S. , Silverman, K. , Morris, L. R. K. A. T. L. & Morris, T. L. (2011). Young Children with and without Disabilities: Perceptions of Peers with Physical Disabilities . International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education , 3 (2) , 117-128 . DOI: 10.20489/intjecse.107949 Uytman, C., Jones, S.J., Rennie. C., Sartore, V. & Fallon, T. (2022, September 14-15). Using representative toys to influence attitudes of Scottish children to disability. [Conference Presentation]. British Psychological Society Psychology of Education Section Annual Conference 2022, Oxford, UK.