FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- For decades, candidates and scholars have bemoaned the political apathy of the younger generation, so greatly in contrast to the civic involvement and awareness of older U.S. citizens. But a new study from the University of Arkansas and Rutgers University has confirmed that at least in one community -- the disability community -- that trend is exactly reversed, with younger people showing far greater levels of political activism and interest.

The UA/Rutgers study also examined the mechanisms by which younger disabled people become involved in community and politics, offering insights about the best ways to promote activism within this growing minority group. The researchers presented their results at the recent American Political Science Association meeting in Washington D.C.

"It's a matter of socialization. In the majority population, older people were socialized to be community-minded and socially involved, but for people raised after the Second World War the emphasis was placed on individuality," Todd Shields, chair of the UA political science department explained. "In the disabled population, the reverse occurred."

Shields and UA colleague Kay Schriner from the Fulbright Institute for International Relations as well as Doug Kruse and Lisa Schur of Rutgers University collected data through two nationwide telephone surveys in 1998 and 2000. Conducted through the Rutgers Center for Public Interest Polling, the surveys sampled random households throughout the U.S., gathering information both from disabled and non-disabled individuals. The resulting sample included 1132 citizens with disabilities and 1112 citizens without disabilities.

Those who agreed to participate in the survey answered questions about their voting habits, political involvement, employment, religion, the nature of their disability (if any) and general demographics. The survey also asked about group activities, civic skills, access to transportation and overall life satisfaction. The researchers compared results from disabled and non-disabled respondents. In addition, they re-polled 500 disabled respondents from the 1998 survey to track changes in involvement and attitudes over the two-year interval.

Their results indicated a pattern of political and social involvement within the disability community that contradicted the pattern amongst majority U.S. citizens. The disabled population is, in general, less active than the majority population, but younger disabled individuals are quickly closing that gap, according to Schriner and Shields. The survey showed that people with disabilities under the age of 55 participated in .37 fewer political activities over the past year than the non-disabled group. Those over the age of 55 showed .95 fewer activities.

Such increased participation is partly due to the fact that disabled people have become more integrated into society over the past few decades. Rather than being isolated or institutionalized, disabled students often attend the same schools and classrooms as other children. Disabled access to public buildings and events has greatly improved in recent years. And increased public awareness has mitigated the stigma and discrimination that accompanies many disabilities.

"Just as the rest of society started to revel in its individualism, the disability community got the message that they could enter regular schools, could vote, could be part of this larger society," Shields said.

And as disabled people became more socially involved, they also became more politically involved, Shriner explained. "Becoming part of a larger group changes the way you see yourself and your situation," she said. "Disabled people who are socially involved are more likely to view their disability as a minority status rather than a medical condition. And once you see yourself as a minority, you're much more likely to see that political and social action is a part of improving your life."

The survey not only reflected a changing social climate, but it also revealed correlations between certain social activities and political activism. While greater levels of social participation -- also known as social capital -- were linked to increased political awareness and involvement overall, only one particular type of activity led to activism on behalf of disability issues.

Membership and attendance at disability support groups proved to be the only predictor of disability activism even when those groups were not politically-focused. Just as integration with society showed disabled people how they fit into a larger community, involvement with other disabled people can show them that their individual challenges and concerns are not theirs alone. Rather, those concerns are shared by many others.

Establishing that group identity represents the first and most crucial step in informing people about their rights and motivating them to stand up for those rights -- in part because it shows them they're not fighting alone, Schriner said.

"This study shows that the disability community not only has a responsibility to create a more politically active and aware group of people, but it has the perfect opportunity," she added. "The data indicates that they shouldn't be relying on political parties or other groups to improve political consciousness amongst disabled people. The most effective means of doing that would be to use what they already have."

To a small extent, that is happening spontaneously. But the study has convinced Schriner and Shields that a concentrated and organized effort, originating from the disability community itself, could make a tremendous impact in political involvement and even in politics itself. Once disabled people become more informed and active in politics, they have a chance to change policies in ways that could significantly improve their everyday lives.

"There's been a lot of progress over the past thirty years. The Americans with Disabilities Act and much of the federal legislation has improved conditions for disabled people, but in many communities there's still a long way to go," Schriner said. From transportation issues to educational policy and even scientific frontiers like stem cell research -- disabled people have vested interests in the outcome of those debates, she said. "Now is the perfect time for them to get involved."

---University of Arkansas

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