Özet:

The perception towards individuals with special needs in society differs. It is important to improve social perception and raise awareness in order to ensure that individuals with special needs can actively participate in education and to be accepted in the society, taking into account their disability. That’s why, the aim of the study is to examine the perceptions of university students towards individuals with special needs. The research is a quantitative research and was carried out using the general survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. 152 students who continued their education in the Health Sciences University Gülhane Faculty of Health Sciences in the 2021-2022 academic year participated in the research. The data of the study were collected using the Personal Information Form and the Disability Perception Scale. In the analysis of the research data, frequency and percentage analyzes as well as t test, One Way ANOVA and LSD post hoc tests were performed. As a result of the research, it was determined that the disability perception levels of the students were mediocre and that their disability perceptions did not differ according to their gender, the department they attended, their grade level, whether there was a disabled person in their family and whether they had worked with individuals with special needs before. It is thought that it is necessary to carry out studies in order to have more positive perceptions of health workers towards individuals with special needs compared to the general population.

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