Research on Humanities and Social Sciences www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1719 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2863 (Online) Vol.3, No.18, 2013 78 Discriminant Analysis of Discrimination against People with Disability Iddrisu Wahab Abdul * , Joseph Dadzie, Ben Apau-Dadson School of Applied Science and Arts, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Accra Polytechnic Accra, Ghana * E-mail: perfectwahab@yahoo.com Abstract Negative stereotypes about physically challenged people result in discriminatory social policies which in turn reinforce or confirm negative attitudes that greatly affects them as they strive to function in the society, these problems create some difficulties as the physically challenged persons strives to effectively play active role in various sectors of the society. The main objective of this study was to identify the category of people who perpetuate discriminatory practices against physically challenged people in Tamale metropolis of Ghana. Questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect data for the study. Discriminant analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was then performed on the collected data. The results revealed that "survey respondents who had discriminated either consciously or unconsciously against people with disabilities were more likely to be less than 40 years in terms of age, male in terms of sex, educated with regards to formal education, and working in the formal sector in terms of occupation than survey respondents who had never discriminated against people with disabilities." Keywords: Discriminant Analysis, Discrimination, Physically Challenged People 1. Introduction The physically challenged people are born into a family and remain a lifelong member of their respective families, resulting in their lives being interwoven with their families and society. The way parents and society treat physically challenged persons is a reflection of the attitude they have for them. In the process of integration of the physically challenged persons, the parents and society who reach to the state of passive acceptance actively involve themselves in the general welfare of the physically challenged persons. However, some who do not resolve the initial emotional reactions tend to express negative attitudes such as discrimination, referring to them as social outcasts, stigmatization and so forth towards the physically challenged persons. Physically challenged people, in particular, fared badly and can consistently be found to occupy the lower levels of most measures of inequality and social exclusion (Atkins, 1991). According to a report by the UN (2002) negative stereotypes about physically challenged people result in discriminatory social policies which in turn reinforce or validate negative attitudes. In tandem with the UN report, Oliver et al. (1998) asserts that, discrimination lies in the ‘institutionalised practices of society’ rather than in the attitudes of individuals. However, most institutional barriers tend to be less obvious. They can include social institutions such as marriage, and hence the role of housewife and its attendant domestic tasks. Getting (1993) believes that the views of health and caring professionals may be even more negative than those of the general public, due to the unequal relationship they have with the physically challenged people and the fact that they come into contact only when physically challenged people are deemed to need their help. It also seems likely that the acceptance of more than a few physically challenged professionals would seriously challenge the traditional professional/client relationship where the professional is considered to be the expert and occupies a dominant position over the client. Many studies have found that physically challenged persons’ participation in daily life is limited not only by their individual impairments, but equally by external barriers; namely environmental, social and attitudinal (Barnes and Mercer, 1997). A number of studies conducted in Asia shows that people who are physically challenged experience varied discrimination because of their physical disability. A significant amount of literature in this area provides ample evidence that suggest that the physically challenged people feel discriminated against in most societies (Lang, 1998). The physical limitations of individuals tend to be one of the major problems faced by individuals with physical challenges. Van Brakel and Anderson (1998) notes that individuals with Leprosy, found that physically challenged persons were not able to carry out major activities such as washing clothes and washing dishes, carrying water-pots, watering the land and pouring water. Behavioural norms are also said to contribute to functional limitations among physically challenged persons (Mulholland et al, 1998). Variations of discrimination against persons with disabilities exist in Ghana as they do in other places in Africa. Among the Ashanti’s in Ghana, their traditional beliefs barred men with physical defects, such as amputations