Disabled people as “the different” in the light of sociological concepts and the light of sociological and psychological research

Despite such research on the genesis of social prejudice against handicaped people, there have not been found all the factors. Attitudes to handicaped people - according to the results of the research - are conditioned by numerous factors of social, cultural, demographical, economical and psychological type. They are also conditioned by handicaped people’s own attitude to their disabilities. Sociological research has proven that society creates many obstacles in social life of handicaped people. More painful for them are social obstacles than the architectonic ones. Psychological research concentrates on the genesis of social prejudice and its result. Society’s negative attitude to handicaped people results mainly from the lack of knowledge on the needs of those people. Painful is also the fact that children copy stereotypic behaviour of adults and play games with handicaped children rather unwillingly. The process of breaking stereotypes and prejudice has to base on bringing the new generation up in respect for handicaped people