People with disabilities, estimated at one billion worldwide, deal with a wide variety of facilitators or barriers that improve or limit their functionality and quality of life, narrowing or widening the difference between their performance (real) and their capacity (ideal). Attitudes, positive or negative reactions towards disability, influenced by culture, media, concepts and beliefs, impact directly their social inclusion. The aim of this study was to better understand and to measure attitudes toward disabilities, reported by people with disabilities followed at the Instituto de Medicina Fisica e Reabilitacao, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil.

68 patients, aged between 18–65 years, without cognitive impairments, with one of the following diagnosis: amputee, paraplegia, tetraplegia or hemiplegia, were exposed to the following evaluations: sociodemographic, Attitudes to Disabilities Scale for physical disabilities (ADS-D) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The collected data was associated with data from medical records, such as time since disability and Functional Independence Measure (FIM).

The average and standard deviation of the total ADS-D score was 61.294 (8.74), statistically higher than previous studies in developing countries (Brazil P=0.0067 and China P<0.0001). Correlation was found between ADS-D and: depression (HADS) and self-reported income. No correlation was found between ADS-D and time since disability or FIM.

In spite of having a more positive perception than previous studies, the population of the study reported attitudinal barriers. Lower incomes and depression were associated with lower ADS-D scores.