The problem. This research project developed an educational curriculum that taught student nurses in Hualien, Taiwan, R.O.C., about people with disabilities. The purpose of the curriculum was to determine whether short-term educational experiences would improve the attitudes of nursing students toward people with disabilities. Attitudes toward people with disabilities are difficult to alter. People in the medical profession, especially nurses who have intensive contact with people with disabilities, must be able to provide compassionate and sensitive care. The area around Hualien, Taiwan, is experiencing increasing numbers of people who survive accidents with permanent disabilities. These people must be able to live and work effectively in the community.

Procedures. The curriculum was developed through interviews with people with disabilities from Hualien, Taiwan who were currently receiving rehabilitative services from Tzu Chi Medical Center. The curriculum was presented to students in an intensive format. One pre-test and two post-tests were administered to experimental and control groups to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum. Scores were evaluated to determine the effect of the curriculum on the experimental group.

Findings. The curriculum did not result in significant changes in attitudes toward people with disabilities. The short nature of the curriculum, the superficial nature of quantitative attitude assessments, and the homogeneity of the sample may have contributed to these findings.