Réduire la stigmatisation des salariés reconnus handicapés : exemple d’une action de sensibilisation en entreprise

Résumé Fr En

Cette étude vise à apporter une validité scientifique à une action de sensibilisation au handicap dans une grande entreprise française. Elle s’inscrit dans le champ de la psychologie expérimentale, et a pour but d’apporter un éclairage psychosocial à la problématique de l’insertion professionnelle des personnes reconnues handicapées. Des participants volontaires se sont inscrits à un atelier de sensibilisation au handicap dans lequel ils se sont mis en situation de handicap au cours d’un atelier de cuisine. Ils ont rempli une échelle du jugement social s’intéressant à la compétence, à la chaleur et au courage des personnes handicapées, perçus par les salariés, avant et après leur participation à l’atelier. Les résultats ne traduisent pas d’amélioration significative de la tendance à considérer les personnes en situation de handicap comme chaleureuses, mais montrent que les salariés de l’entreprise ont une plus grande propension à considérer ces personnes comme courageuses et compétentes. Ces résultats sont encourageants et permettent de discuter des bonnes pratiques à mettre en place en entreprise pour lutter contre les stéréotypes et les préjugés afin de faciliter l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap au travail.

Persons with physical disability are often ostracized because of prevalent negative stereotypes about disability. Past research suggests that perspective taking, and imagined intergroup contact, may reduce negative stereotypes towards a stigmatized social group. In the context of a large French company, the present study tested whether a brief intervention of perspective taking may reduce negative stereotypes towards persons with disability. Precisely, the goal of this study is to ask employees to do routine activities from the perspective of a person with a physical disability and to measure the effect this perspective taking has on stereotypes. This study aims to bring scientific validity to a disability awareness action in a large French company. The research is situated in the field of experimental psychology and aims to provide a psychosocial insight into the problem of the occupational integration of persons with recognized disabilities.Employees were recruited to participate in a brief intervention about disability. They were asked to cook in a disabled situation, that is, in a situation of partial privation of audition, vision, and body movements. After cooking, they ate together, and they received information about disability, laws, and other knowledge in this subject. Before and after the cooking workshop, participants completed a social judgment scale assessing the social representation of disabled persons. Results showed that the workshop did not improve perception of warmth about disabled people. However, the workshop increased the perceived courage and skills. These results are encouraging and are discussed along with good work practices. Combating prejudice and managing diversity is important to improve work situations for disabled persons and this short training intervention seems to be efficient for reducing negative representations about disability. These results provide an opportunity to discuss best practices to be put in place in companies to combat stereotypes and prejudices in order to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.