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Adapting a Widely Used Children's Disability Attitudes Measure: Validation of the Maryland East-African Children's Attitudes towards Disabilities (MEACAD) Scale

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Title: Adapting a Widely Used Children's Disability Attitudes Measure: Validation of the Maryland East-African Children's Attitudes towards Disabilities (MEACAD) Scale
Language: English
Authors: Angshuman K. Kashyap (ORCID 0000-0003-4777-3636), Malayna Leopold, Dina L. G. Borzekowski (ORCID 0000-0002-6842-2571)
Source: British Journal of Learning Disabilities. 2026 54(2):226-236.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Childrens Attitudes, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Attitude Measures, Test Validity, Foreign Countries, Construct Validity, Cultural Relevance
Geographic Terms: Uganda
DOI: 10.1111/bld.70026
ISSN: 1354-4187
1468-3156
Abstract: Background: The Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH), a 36-item scale, is widely used to assess children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities. While recognized for its strong validity and reliability, it was developed nearly four decades ago in Canada for children aged 9 to 13 and no longer fully aligns with diverse geographical and cultural contexts today. We examine children's attitudes toward children with disabilities in Kampala, Uganda, using a culturally-tailored, shorter, and updated version of the CATCH scale. We establish the construct validity of the scale by testing three hypotheses grounded in existing literature. Methods: We cross-sectionally examined the attitudes of 375 children aged 6 to 9 years in Kampala in the Summer of 2024. Findings: Through rigorous scale validation steps, we offer a modernized, age-appropriate, and concise 15-item adaptation--one of the first in the East African context. The revised scale demonstrated strong construct validity along with good internal consistency. Conclusions: Future research should evaluate the scale's psychometric properties across broader age groups, geographical regions, and socioeconomic contexts to enhance its robustness as a modern multi-dimensional scale for measuring children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities. We introduce the Maryland-East African Children's Attitudes toward Disabilities (MEACAD) scale.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1505929
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Adapting a Widely Used Children's Disability Attitudes Measure: Validation of the Maryland East-African Children's Attitudes towards Disabilities (MEACAD) Scale
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Angshuman+K%2E+Kashyap%22">Angshuman K. Kashyap</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4777-3636">0000-0003-4777-3636</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Malayna+Leopold%22">Malayna Leopold</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dina+L%2E+G%2E+Borzekowski%22">Dina L. G. Borzekowski</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6842-2571">0000-0002-6842-2571</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22British+Journal+of+Learning+Disabilities%22"><i>British Journal of Learning Disabilities</i></searchLink>. 2026 54(2):226-236.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 11
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Uganda%22">Uganda</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1111/bld.70026
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  Data: 1354-4187<br />1468-3156
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  Data: Background: The Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH), a 36-item scale, is widely used to assess children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities. While recognized for its strong validity and reliability, it was developed nearly four decades ago in Canada for children aged 9 to 13 and no longer fully aligns with diverse geographical and cultural contexts today. We examine children's attitudes toward children with disabilities in Kampala, Uganda, using a culturally-tailored, shorter, and updated version of the CATCH scale. We establish the construct validity of the scale by testing three hypotheses grounded in existing literature. Methods: We cross-sectionally examined the attitudes of 375 children aged 6 to 9 years in Kampala in the Summer of 2024. Findings: Through rigorous scale validation steps, we offer a modernized, age-appropriate, and concise 15-item adaptation--one of the first in the East African context. The revised scale demonstrated strong construct validity along with good internal consistency. Conclusions: Future research should evaluate the scale's psychometric properties across broader age groups, geographical regions, and socioeconomic contexts to enhance its robustness as a modern multi-dimensional scale for measuring children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities. We introduce the Maryland-East African Children's Attitudes toward Disabilities (MEACAD) scale.
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      – SubjectFull: Attitudes toward Disabilities
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      – SubjectFull: Attitude Measures
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      – SubjectFull: Test Validity
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Construct Validity
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      – SubjectFull: Cultural Relevance
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      – SubjectFull: Uganda
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      – TitleFull: Adapting a Widely Used Children's Disability Attitudes Measure: Validation of the Maryland East-African Children's Attitudes towards Disabilities (MEACAD) Scale
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