Abstract

This descriptive study examined the attitude of Turkish people towards the mentally retarded. The working group was composed of 329 male and female staff in various places of employment in EskiÅŸehir provincial center, 87 non-working women living in EskiÅŸehir provincial center and 49 non-working women living in MuÄŸla provincial center. Research data were collected with the help of a survey which was developed by the researcher; it is composed of demographic questions and questions that aimed to identify attitudes towards the mentally retarded. During the development of survey questions, it was intended to present the extent of accurate beliefs held by Turkish people about the mentally retarded and their perceptions towards them. Results show that lack of knowledge and negative perceptions about retarded individuals that can be traced back to the historical process related to disability concept are still in effect today for the Turkish society.

Key words: Individuals with mental retardation, disability, social perspective, marginalization.