Contact Hypothesis

In the blog post Changing Attitudes it was seen that it is possible to change people's attitudes through education and role modeling. A further way to change people's negative attitudes towards an outgroup is described in the contact hypothesis.

The contact hypothesis is said by psychologists and sociologists to be one of the best ways to improve relations in groups that are experiencing conflict. Gordon Allport is often credited with its development. The idea of the theory is that under certain conditions interpersonal contact between an ingroup and an outgroup is one of the best ways to reduce prejudice and resolve conflict. Wikipedia continues:

If one has the opportunity to communicate with others, they are able to understand and appreciate different points of views involving their way of life. As a result of new appreciation and understanding, prejudice should diminish. Issues of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are commonly occurring issues between rival groups. Allport's proposal was that properly managed contact between the groups should reduce these problems and lead to better interactions.
Contact fails to cure conflict when contact situations create anxiety for those who take part. Contact situations need to be long enough to allow this anxiety to decrease and for the members of the conflicting groups to feel comfortable with one another. Additionally if the members of the two groups use this contact situation to trade insults, argue with each other, resort to physical violence, and discriminate against each other, then contact should not be expected to reduce conflict between groups. To obtain beneficial effects, the situation must include positive contact. Some of the criteria are as follows:

• Equal status. Both groups must engage equally in the relationship. Members of the group should have similar backgrounds, qualities, and characteristics. Differences in academic backgrounds, wealth, skill, or experiences should be minimized if these qualities will influence perceptions of prestige and rank in the group.
• Common goals. Both groups must work on a problem/task and share this as a common goal, sometimes called a superordinate goal, a goal that can only be attained if the members of two or more groups work together by pooling their efforts and resources.
• Intergroup cooperation. Both groups must work together for their common goals without competition. Groups need to work together in the pursuit of common goals.
• Support of authorities, law or customs. Both groups must acknowledge some authority that supports the contact and interactions between the groups. The contact should encourage friendly, helpful, egalitarian attitudes and condemn ingroup-outgroup comparisons.
• Personal interaction. The contact situation needs to involve informal, personal interaction with outgroup members. Members of the conflicting groups need to mingle with one another. Without this criterion they learn very little about each other and cross-group friendships do not occur.

The reduction of prejudice through intergroup contact is best explained as the reconceptualization of group categories. Gordon Allport (1954) claims that prejudice is a direct result of generalizations and oversimplifications made about an entire group of people based on incomplete or mistaken information. The basic rationale is that prejudice may be reduced as one learns more about a category of people. Rothbart and John (1985) describe belief change through contact as "an example of the general cognitive process by which attributes of category members modify category attributes" (p. 82). An individual's beliefs can be modified by that person coming into contact with a culturally distinct category member and subsequently modifying or elaborating the beliefs about the category as a whole.

How can negative attitudes be reduced when non disabled persons and persons with disabilities (PWDs) meet? These notes from the 2013 book, The Social Psychology of Disability by Dana S. Dunn offer some idea:

Currently, there is no comprehensive review of research on the contact hypothesis and disability available. Certainly, though, we should expect the conditions identified by Allport (1954a), Pettigrew and Tropp (2006, 2008), and other researchers to decrease the prejudiced feelings that nondisabled persons may harbor toward PWDs. As Mason and colleagues (2004) put it, “It makes sense that repeated contacts lead to the able-bodied person learning more information about the person with the disability (family, values, aspirations, joyful experiences, sense of humor, etc.) as a ‘whole’ person” (p. 81).
Following this reasoning, Amsel and Fichten (1988) examined the thoughts and attitudes of nondisabled college students who had previous contact with college-aged people with physical disabilities. The investigators found that students with prior contact reported being comfortable and relaxed when interacting with peers with disabilities. In addition, nondisabled students with prior contact experience reported a higher ratio of positive to negative thoughts compared to peers who had no contact with PWDs. This ratio was true for thoughts about the self and others, but was most pronounced concerning thoughts about persons with a disability. Amsel and Fichten suggested that the benefit of contact with a PWD is that such interaction changes thoughts about future contact (i.e., reducing concerns or anxieties about meeting) with PWDs. The drawback of this study is the absence of any actual interaction component, as the student participants provided the investigators with retrospective reports about past interactions and then completed a series of paper and pencil measures. This research was also conducted before implicit attitude measures of disability were available. Still, the findings are consistent with the contact hypothesis.
Clunies-Ross and O’Meara (1989) conducted a more interactive and longer-term study as part of an evaluation of a program aimed at improving attitudes toward peers with disabilities among some Australian elementary school students. Half a group of fourth-graders were randomly assigned to participate in recreational activities with same-aged children with intellectual disabilities and the other half were not (control group members spent the same amount of time engaged in social study activities). Compared to the fourth-graders in the control group as well as their own pretest scores, those children who took part in the recreational activities with the disabled peers showed a positive attitude change. Moreover, the favorable attitude change persisted for (at least) 3 months beyond the program’s end. Other research concerning nondisabled children’s attitudes toward persons with disabilities finds similar results in support of the contact hypothesis (e.g., Ballard, Corman, Gottleib, & Kaufman, 1977; Fenrick & Peterson, 1984; Maras & Brown, 1996; Ronning & Nabuzoka, 1993).
We will close the discussion of the contact hypothesis with one promising study concerning attitudes toward the employability of PWDs. Levy and colleagues studied over 300 executives employed at “Fortune 500” companies who were responsible for hiring decisions, asking them to complete a survey (Levy, Jessop, Rimmerman, & Levy, 1993). Respondents were to disclose their attitudes toward persons with severe disabilities, including whether they had prior experiences hiring such individuals. Those executives who reported previous experiences working with PWDs showed favorable attitudes toward disability generally and expressed greater belief in the employability of people with severe disabilities than did those executives with no prior contact with PWDs in the workplace.

Often celebrities or well known persons with disabilities or disabling diseases are introduced to the public, this is an extension of the contact hypothesis. The idea is described in The Social Psychology of Disability:

Interventions involving contact with PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS) could be an effective way to alter the reflexive emotional reactions that people have to HIV-related stigma. Personal contact with persons with AIDS seems one of the most promising approaches to reduce AIDS-related stigma, although this should be accompanied with information about the disease (see Brown et al., 2003). For instance, Paxton (2002a) found using HIV-positive speakers in AIDS education decreased fear and stigmatisation among the audience. For female speakers, improved attitudes even remained significant over 3 months. One might argue that public disclosure of one’s HIV-status is extremely difficult in developing countries and may lead to stigmatization and social isolation. However, research on the impact of public disclosure on the lives of HIV-positive people in Africa and the Asiapacific region is encouraging (Paxton, 2002b). Most HIV-positive AIDS educators experienced good support from their peers and family. Furthermore, almost all speakers had no regrets about their public disclosure and felt psychological release. Nevertheless, governments and AIDS organizations should provide optimal conditions for public HIV disclosure and provide HIV-positive speakers with support, counselling and training (Paxton, 2002b).

How can this information be applied to Uganda? David Emong has just won a medal at the Paralympics.  He has become a celebrity and role model for the disabled. He tells his story in this article,  First Ugandan Paralympic Medal Winner Returns Home a Winner:

David Emong's parents wrap garlands around his neck at Entebbe International Airport, welcoming him back to Uganda after his Paralympics win. (L. Paulat/VOA)

KAMPALA — Last week Uganda's own David Emong won the silver medal in the 1500-meter race at Rio's Summer Paralympics Games. Now that Emong has returned to Uganda, many are wondering how his win might impact sports and disability advocacy.
Ugandan sports fans went wild when, with only 37 seconds left in a four minute race, runner David Emong blasted into second place, earning him a silver medal. The only athlete representing Uganda in Rio's 2016 Summer Paralympics, his win inspired proud posts on social media from President Yoweri Museveni and sports associations across the country.
It is an especially poignant win for Emong, coming from a country where stigmatization of people with disabilities is rampant.
Returning from Rio, he was greeted by his family, the Ugandan Paralympic Committee, Sports Council and numerous disabled athletes. Covered in garlands upon his arrival, Emong said the reaction from Ugandan sports officials was wonderful.
“I really worked very hard to pave a way for other upcoming athletes that are coming behind me. And I really thank those who have prayed for me. I thank the Uganda National Council of Sports for supporting me. And other members who have been giving me support... my dream now is to bring the gold medal for my country.”
Never gave up on life: Emong started running in primary school after his arm was permanently injured and largely immobilized in a schoolyard accident. Although he was sometimes mocked, he never gave up on life. Rather Emong kept going, competing, and often winning, against able-bodied athletes. He hopes his win inspires more kids with disabilities to join athletics.
“I am the model of disability; I really expect more people to come into the organization and inject some money. I say to my people, to my fellow athletes to go and qualify and we bring more medals,” Emong said.
Uganda Paralympic team member Innocent Tumwesigye has high hopes funding will increase in the wake of Emong's win.
"I hope this has started a new chapter for Uganda disability sports, because this is what we have been waiting to see. Because, remember, we had also the general secretary of national council of sports with us. And he said in his words he is going to support also disability sports as he has been doing to the general sports. Because he sees there is a lot of potential. So I am sure we expect a lot,” Tumwesigye said.Emong said he looks forward to competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, adding that his work is not done until he brings Uganda the gold.

Every PWD has a role to play reducing stigma and prejudice because every PWD is a role model. According to the contact hypothesis a favorable contact by a PWD with a non disabled person will reduce the anxiety of stigma and prejudice between the two groups.

At the end of November Disability Support Uganda will be holding a festival to celebrate the abilities of disabled people. In the light of the contact hypothesis discussed above Abilities 256 will be the opportunity for PWDs to reduce stigma and prejudice. It will be a chance to build on the work of celebrity role models like David Emong. In an event like Abilities 256 every PWD who takes part will become a role model reducing stigma and prejudice.