Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the positive/negative effects of both disabled people and livestock enterprises with the participation of disabled people in livestock farm activities with survey researches. The current situation and problems on disabled individuals, trainers and livestock farm owners related to the employment of disabled individuals in livestock farm activities have been revealed, the necessity of providing the necessary training and state incentives for the disabled individuals to enter business life has come to the fore. It has been foreseen that it is necessary by both the livestock farm owners and it has been concluded that those responsible for this area should carry out studies. As a result, when the answers are evaluated, it can be said that disabled individuals want to take responsibility for the care and feeding of animals and they are positively affected when spending time with animals. Additionally, participants in the research believe that disabled people can be included in business life if given the opportunity, when they receive vocational training on a correct and sectoral basis.

Keywords

Disabled individuals; Employment; Social model; Livestock farm; Rehabilitation

Introduction

Having a disability is unfortunately accepted by the society as an element of social exclusion. For disabled individuals, not being able to participate in society, staying away from social relations, not being able to reach basic services and being prevented from employment appear as a different obstacle situation. That is, we have no power over perceptions. The integration of the disabled person into the society by participating in the social life and the ability to use their current potential depend on the social inclusion policies. Individuals with disabilities can be connected to life by developing and implementing these policies [1].

In the context of human rights, it has been emphasized that disabled people can be excluded and have rights in all areas where they are excluded [1]. Disabled individuals prefer employment over financial aid. Persons with disabilities who have financial independence and meet their own needs will be freed from addiction and social exclusion.

While the exclusion of disabled people who are employed is prevented, it is ensured that they have a say in the society, meet their own needs and increase their self-confidence with sufficient income and social security. For this reason, the first of the actions to be taken for the disabled should be to include the disabled people in working life [2]. For years, studies on this issue have not been carried out and a solution has not been produced. This situation has caused the workforce of people with disabilities to remain idle. With the employment of this idle workforce, it can provide serious benefits to both the society, the country and the disabled individuals themselves.

In Turkey, where it is stated that approximately 12.29% of the population consists of disabled individuals, within the scope of Article 30 of the Labor Law No. 4857; “employers have 3% disability in private sector workplaces where they employ fifty or more workers; in public workplaces, 4% disabled individuals have to be employed” [3]. Despite this, the majority of people with disabilities are unemployed. The situation is not much different in most other countries. For this, new policies and tools should be developed to ensure the employment of people with disabilities.

Many of the disabled individuals spend most of their time at home and continue their lives with the care fees and disability salaries offered by the state. In short, the majority of people with disabilities live far away from society, just as consumers. In addition to these problems, although there is no obstacle in front of the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, there is almost no such employment. The number of these employment instances needs to be increased, because for people with disabilities this shows that it is not just employment but also rehabilitation work.

While disabled individuals who have close contact with animals are able to cope better with stress, the self-confidence of disabled individuals who take care of animals is reinforced. The hyperactive behaviors of disabled individuals who take care of animals and interact with them may decrease and they integrate into the society with calmer behaviors. In short, disabled individuals employed in livestock activities can be both rehabilitated and transitioned from the role of consumer to the role of producer.

The desire of disabled people to be employed is one of their most basic needs and rights, just like other people. Many policies have been developed for the employment of persons with disabilities; however, the participation rate of persons with disabilities in working life is quite low. Therefore, more functional policies should be developed and new employment areas should be created for disabled individuals. Based on this idea, the necessity for disabled individuals to take an active role in the livestock sector, which is a large employment area for most country, comes to the fore. Employment in livestock activities should not only be seen as an employment area for disabled individuals, but also as an area of activity where disabled individuals can both work and be rehabilitated. As a matter of fact, animals have been used in the treatment of disabled individuals from past to present and this has been seen as a therapy method.

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is an treatment method that is shaped on the basis of the human-animal relationship and is defined as the use of animals to solve people’s problems. The basic principle of AAT is based on the psychosomatic effects that occur with the biological-physical-chemical changes provided by human and animal interaction. Feeding or being with animals plays an important role in improving mental, social and physical health by enabling these effects to occur. With the effect of scientific studies, the method of using animal support in the rehabilitation of disabled people is increasing in the world. AAT is also used on disadvantaged individuals such as victims of violence, children at risk, trauma victims, prisoners and the elderly, in addition to disabled individuals [2].

Today, AAT has become a treatment method that is applied for support purposes and has positive results for many ailments. In addition, AAT is preferred as a supportive method for improving quality of life and health in some therapies where various difficulties are encountered [4].

According to Fırat, et al. [2], most AAT studies with adults are performed on the elderly and psychiatric patients. In studies using AAT, it has been shown that by increasing the level of IgA secretion, it strengthens the immune system of individuals [5], reduces blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety level [6], and reduces the level of depression and loneliness, and self-esteem in adult psychiatric patients. It has been reported that it increases self-esteem, socialization and selfefficacy levels [7], it increases food intake in Alzheimer’s patients [8] and reduces the fear of patients before electroconvulsive therapy [9].

Although there are studies on the employment of disabled individuals in different sectors, it is seen that there are no studies on employment in the livestock sector or they are quite insufficient. This study is aimed at the employment of disabled people in livestock enterprises and was carried out with special education teachers who provide training to disabled individuals, livestock business owners, disabled individuals and their families. In the study, both their rehabilitation status and the positive and negative effects of their transition from the consumer role to the producer role by employing disabled individuals in livestock activities were examined, and the issue was also evaluated in terms of livestock enterprises.

Materials and Methods

Material

The study material consisted of face-to-face/online surveys with disabled/disabled families (n=200), special education teachers (n=132), current livestock business owners/responsible employees (n=66) in Erzurum.

Method

Questionnaires prepared for the disabled/disabled families (n=200) and special education teachers (n=132) were applied throughout the province of Erzurum, where the study will be conducted. In addition, with regard to livestock enterprises, according to the records of Erzurum Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, 197 enterprises engaged in cattle breeding over 200 heads and only 404 enterprises with small cattle over 500 heads were taken into account for the survey. By using the stratified chance sampling method in the sampling method to be made for the enterprises in the surveys, a questionnaire was applied to the owners/responsible employees (n=66) of at least 10% of the number of businesses representing provinces and districts.

In order to be used in the study, information that can describe the mutual positive/negative effects of the disabled/disabled individuals was collected with the questionnaire questions specially prepared for the disabled/disabled families (with the disabled individual if he/she is over 18 years old, with his/her family if he/she is under this age), special education teachers, livestock business owners or responsible employees, The information obtained was evaluated with some statistical analyzes.

Statistical analyzes

As a result of the research, the information of each questionnaire was recorded in the SPSS program on the computer. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics such as frequency distributions, percentages, averages, standard deviation values of the answers given by the participants, reliability analyzes of the reliability and validity of the scale, differences between some demographic characteristics and some propositions SPSS 25.0 (IBM SPSS 25.0 Corp. Inc) tested by the program.

When some of the characteristics of the participants participating in the study were considered as independent variable and the mean of their answers to the questions as the dependent variable, whether the dependent variable was normally distributed or not was examined with the Kolmogorov Smirnov test, and parametric or non-parametric related analyzes were applied considering the results of the analysis. Accordingly, the results of the Independent sample t test and Mann Whitney U test performed for two independent variables, and the Kruskal-Wallis test results were obtained and evaluated with the Analysis of Variance applied for three or more independent variables.

Results and Discussion

Reliability analysis

The reliability analysis of the statements in the research scale was made according to the Cronbach’s α coefficient. As a result of the analysis, Cronbach’s α coefficient is shown in table 1. As seen in table 1, the reliability coefficients were found to be quite high and the scale used to measure the employment of disabled people in livestock activities can be considered as a reliable scale.

Survey group	Number of questions	Cronbach's α Coefficient
Disabled Individuals	37	0,869
Instructors	34	0,881
Business owner	29	0,838

Table 1: Number of Research Scale Questions and Cronbach's α Coefficient.

Disabled people

The socio-demographic characteristics of the disabled individuals participating in the research are presented in table 2.

Characteristics		n	%
Gender	Male	119	59,5
	Female	81	40,5
Age group	1-12	58	29,0
	13-24	65	32,5
	25-40	43	21,5
	41-65	33	17,0
Educational Status	No Education	20	10,5
	Primary School	58	30,5
	Middle School	39	20,5
	High School	35	18,4
	College	11	5,8
	University	24	12,6
	Master	3	1,6
Disability Type	Mental	106	53,0
	Seeing	21	10,5
	Hearing	7	3,5
	Chronic	20	10,0
	Orthopedic	30	15,0
	Language-Speech	4	2,0
	Spiritual-Emotional	2	1,0
	Multiple disability	10	5,0
Disability Ratio	20-39	22	11,0
	40-59	39	19,5
	60-79	78	39,0
	80+	61	30,5
Individual    Monthly Income	0-1.499 ₤	134	67,0
	1.500-2.999 ₤	37	18,5
	3.000-4.499 ₤	17	8,5
	4.500+ ₤	12	6,0
Household  Monthly Income	0-1.499 ₤	17	8,5
	1.500-2.999 ₤	86	43,0
	3.000-4.499 ₤	59	29,5
	4.500+ ₤	38	19,0
Number                           of individuals living in the household	2	8	4,0
	3	21	10,5
	4	55	27,5
	5	52	26,0
	6	24	12,0
	7	20	10,0
	8+	20	10,0

Table 2: Socio-Demographical Characteristics of Persons with Disabilities Participating in the Research.

As seen in table 2, 59.5% of the disabled individuals participating in the research are male and 40.5% are female participants. In terms of age, it was determined that 29% of the participants were in the 1-12 age range, 32.5% were in the 13-24 age range, 21.5% were in the 25- 40 age range, and 17% were 41 years old and over. Considering their education levels, 10.5% are illiterate, 30.5% primary school, 20.5% secondary school, 18.4% high school, 5.8% associate degree, 12.6% undergraduate and 1.6% graduate degree. In terms of disability type, it has 53% mental, 10.5% sight, 3.5% hearing, 10% chronic, 15% orthopedic, 2% language-speech, 1% mental-emotional disability and 5% multiple disabilities type. In terms of disability rate, 11% were 20- 39%, 19.5% 40-59%, 39% 60-79% and 30.5% 80% or more disabled. When the participants are evaluated according to their individual income, it is seen that 67% have a monthly income of 0-1499 ₤, 18.5% 1500-2999 ₤, 8.5% 3000-4499 ₤ and 6% have a monthly income of 4500 or more ₤. In terms of monthly income entering the household, 51.5% of the participants were found to have a household income of less than 3000 ₤. Considering the number of individuals living in the household, it is seen that 58% of them have a population of 5 or more.

The answers given to some questions about the status, attitudes and behaviors of disabled individuals participating in the research are presented in table 3.

Question		Number of Observations (n)	%
Have you been to excursion animal farms or animal shelters?	Yes	133	66,5
	No	67	33,5
If your answer is yes; What was your attitude when you encountered animals?	positive attitude	100	75,2
	Negative attitude	17	12,8
	no attitude	16	12,0
Do you own a pet?	Yes	57	28,5
	No	143	71,5
I took responsibility related to animal care.	Yes	87	43,5
	No	113	56,5
I have a job.	Yes	44	22,0
	No	156	78,0
Are there any disabled people in your area who were employed after graduation?	Yes	68	34,0
	No	132	66,0
At school, I did/I am doing studies related to work and professional skills.	Yes	31	16,1
	No	162	83,9
I would like to see myself in production activities.	Yes	189	94,5
	No	11	5,5
If your answer is yes, in which production activity do you believe you will be more successful?	Agriculture/ Livestock	115	60,9
	Workshop/ industry	22	11,6
	Officer	38	20,1
	Self-employment	14	7,4

Table 3: Attitudes of Persons with Disabilities Participating in the Research (Number of Observations (n) and % values)

“Have you been to excursion farms or animal shelters?” It was seen that 66.5% of the participants answered “Yes” to the question, and 75.2% of those who gave this answer showed a positive attitude in the animal shelters they went to, and only 12.8% showed a negative attitude.

While 28.5% of the participants stated that they own a pet, 43.5% reported that they took responsibility for animal care.

It is stated that 22% of the participating disabled individuals have a profession and, “Is there any disabled person in your circle who was employed after graduation?” it was observed that 34% answered “Yes” to the question.

16.1% of the participants stated that they did work related to work and professional skills at school, and 94.5% stated that they wanted to see themselves in production activities. Among those who want to see themselves in production activities, 60.9% declared that they believed they would be more successful in agriculture/livestock, 20.1% in civil service, 11.6% in workshop/industry and 7.4% in self-employment.

Information on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of disabled individuals participating in the research are shown in table 4.

Disability Type/Disability Ratio	20-39	40-59	60-79	80-100	General
Mental	16	14	45	31	106
Seeing	0	3	10	8	21
Hearing	0	2	3	2	7
Chronic	1	5	8	6	20
Orthopedic	4	11	9	6	30
Language-Speech	1	2	1	0	4
Spiritual-Emotional	0	2	0	0	2
Multiple disability	0	0	2	8	10
General	22	39	78	61	200

Table 4: Distribution between Disability Type and Disability Rates.

59% of the disabled participants who participated in the research stated that they knew about farm animals, 78.5% said they loved animals, and 79% stated that it was pleasing to spend time with animals.

It was seen that 57% of the disabled participants answered positively, 27.5% were undecided and 15.5% answered negatively to the question “I believe I can assume responsibility/success in caring for a farm animal” (question point average is 3.74). It was found that 76% of the respondents gave a positive answer to the question “Spending time with animals plays an important role in improving my mental, social and physical health”, while 9% gave a negative answer (mean question score of 4.12). When the answers given to these questions are evaluated, it is concluded that disabled individuals want to take responsibility for the care and feeding of animals and that they will benefit positively while spending time with animals.

The question “I have knowledge about the animal-supported therapy method (treatment/rehabilitation) with animal support” of the disabled participants gave a positive answer of 39.5% and a negative answer of 33% (Table 4). In addition, 61% of the participants stated that “They believe that the animal-assisted therapy method can be effective for disabled individuals”. While 77% of the participants said “I want to have a profession”, 76.5% of the participants said “I am generally worried about how I will continue my life”.

While 41.1% of the disabled individuals who participated in the research answered the question “I see school only as a place where academic skills are gained”, 20% abstained and 38.9% answered negatively. 72.6% of the participants stated that the education curriculum in schools was mostly academic education. The rate of those who stated that job and vocational training should be given more place in the current education curriculum was 89.2%.

While 30.2% of the disabled participants saw themselves only as consumers, 44.7% of them stated that they did not see themselves as only consumers. The rate of those who believe that disabled people have employment problems was determined as 88%. While 90.5% of the participants answered “Disabled individuals who are employed will be independent individuals”, this rate was 96% for the question “The self-confidence of employed disabled individuals will improve”. 93% of the disabled participants answered, “Employment will prevent the exclusion of people with disabilities from society”.

While 63.5% of the disabled participants stated that the employment of disabled individuals is not only for financial gain, 43.2% said that “the employment of disabled individuals is necessary only because it provides psychological support to the individual”. While 80.5% of the disabled participants thought that “disabled individuals could be employed in livestock activities, they also stated that disabled individuals would be beneficial in livestock activities” with the same ratio.

In the study, the rate of participants who say that “they think livestock activities will benefit me” is 77.5%, the rate of those who think that “employing disabled individuals in livestock activities is beneficial for society” is 79%. The rate of “employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities provides benefits to disabled individuals” is 84.9%, while the rate of “employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities benefits their families” is 80%. The rate of “employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities provides benefits to livestock business owners” is 59%, the rate of “employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities provides only financial gain to the individual” is 32%.

The rate of those who think that it is “necessary to add a course/ courses related to animal husbandry to the school curriculum in order for disabled individuals to be employed in livestock activities” is 84%.

The rate of those who think that “in-service courses on livestock activities should be opened so that disabled individuals can be employed in livestock activities” is 82.5%, the rate of those who think that “the state supports/incentives given to disabled individuals should be increased in order to engage in livestock activities” is 83.5%. In addition, 80.9% of the respondents were of the opinion that “In order for disabled individuals to engage in animal husbandry activities, the articles of law/ regulation regarding businesses should be changed in a way that will benefit disabled individuals”.

The distribution of the participants’ disability type and disability rates are presented in table 4. As seen in table 4, the rate of disability among the disabled participants was found to be 30.5% in the total number, based on the 80-100% range (which may vary depending on the type of disability). The answers of these participants were not excluded from the study, as answers were given by the families of those who participated in the survey on a voluntary basis and the families of those who could not complete the survey.

The distribution of the participants’ disability type and education level is presented in table 5.

Disability Type/Education Level	No education	Primary School	Middle School	High School	University	General
Mental	12	40	23	18	11	104
Seeing	2	4	2	7	5	20
Hearing	0	0	2	2	2	6
Chronic	2	1	3	4	9	19
Orthopedic	2	9	5	2	10	28
Language-Speech	1	1	1	0	1	4
Spiritual-Emotional	0	0	0	1	0	1
Multiple disability	1	3	3	1	0	8
General	20	58	39	35	38	190

Table 5: Distribution between Disability Type and Education Level.

When table 5 is examined, it is seen that there is a nearly homogeneous distribution between the type of disability and the level of education, and getting education for disabled individuals does not pose a problem if the obstacles on the way to education are removed. The majority of the numbers in the “no education” column in the table consist of individuals under the age of education, and the survey questions were answered by their parents.

Attitudes (n and % values), frequency averages and standard deviations of disabled individuals participating in the research are presented in table 6.

Scale Questions	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Indecisive	Agree	Strongly agree	N	Mean	St, Deviation
Self-confidence of people with disabilities who are employed will improve.	1 (0,5)	0 (0,0)	7 (3,5)	22 (11,0)	170 (85,0)	200	4,80	0,540
Employment will prevent people with disabilities from being excluded from society.	1 (0,5)	2 (1,0)	11 (5,5)	22 (11,0)	164 (82,0)	200	4,73	0,655
I believe that disabled people have employment problems.	3 (1,5)	4 (2,0)	17 (8,5)	20 (10,1)	155 (77,9)	199	4,61	0,845
Persons with disabilities who are employed will be independent individuals.	0 (0,0)	6 (3,0)	13 (6,5)	37 (18,5)	144 (72,0)	200	4,60	0,744
I would like to include more job and vocational training in the current education curriculum.	1 (0,6)	2 (1,1)	16 (9,1)	44 (25,0)	113 (64,2)	176	4,51	0,756
Employment  of  disabled  individuals  in  livestock  activities provides benefits to disabled individuals.	6 (3,0)	2 (1,0)	22 (11,1)	39 (19,6)	130 (65,3)	199	4,43	0,945
State supports/incentives for disabled individuals to engage in animal husbandry activities should be increased.	7 (3,5)	2 (1,0)	23 (11,5)	33 (16,5)	134 (67,0)	199	4,43	0,982
I want to have a job.	7 (3,5)	8 (4,0)	14 (7,0)	27 (13,5)	127 (63,5)	183	4,42	1,060
Employment  of  disabled  individuals  in  livestock  activities provides benefits to the families of individuals with disabilities.	8 (4,0)	1 (0,5)	31 (15,5)	29 (14,5)	131 (65,5)	200	4,37	1,029
In order for disabled people to be employed in animal husbandry activities, it is necessary to add a course/courses related to animal husbandry to the school curriculum.	6 (3,0)	2 (1,0)	24 (12,0)	49 (24,5)	119 (59,5)	200	4,37	0,947
In-service courses on livestock activities should be opened so that disabled individuals can be employed in livestock activities.	7 (3,5)	1 (0,5)	27 (13,5)	44 (22,0)	121 (60,5)	200	4,36	0,977
In order for disabled individuals to engage in livestock activities, the laws/regulations related to businesses should be changed in a way that will benefit disabled individuals.	8 (4,0)	3 (1,5)	27 (13,6)	32 (16,1)	129 (64,8)	199	4,36	1,039
I  think  it  will  be  beneficial  for  disabled  people  in  animal husbandry activities.	6 (3,0)	3 (1,5)	30 (15,0)	38 (19,0)	123 (61,5)	200	4,35	0,990
Employment  of  disabled  individuals  in  livestock  activities  is beneficial for our country.	6 (3,0)	3 (1,5)	33 (16,5)	36 (18,0)	122 (61,0)	200	4,32	1,002
I  think  that  disabled  people  can  be  employed  in  animal husbandry activities.	9 (4,5)	3 (1,5)	27 (13,5)	49 (24,5)	112 (56,0)	200	4,26	1,048
I love animals.	15 (7,5)	4 (2,0)	21 (10,5)	37 (18,5)	122 (61,0)	199	4,24	1,194
I know about farm animals.	26 (13,0)	19 (9,5)	36 (18,0)	43 (21,5)	75 (37,5)	200	4,23	1,123
I think livestock activities will benefit me.	11 (5,5)	4 (2,0)	30 (15,0)	39 (19,5)	116 (58,0)	200	4,23	1,123
In general, I am worried about how I will continue my life.	12 (6,0)	14 (7,0)	20 (10,0)	27 (13,5)	126 (63)	199	4,21	1,233
I feel happy when I spend time with animals.	14 (7,0)	6 (3,0)	25 (12,5)	42 (21,0)	112 (56,0)	199	4,17	1,192
Employment  of  disabled  individuals  in  livestock  activities benefits livestock business owners.	7 (6-3,5)	6 (3,0)	49 (24,5)	28 (14,0)	110 (55,0)	200	4,14	1,103
Spending time with animals plays an important role in improving my mental, social and physical health.	13 (6,5)	5 (2,5)	30 (15,0)	49 (24,5)	103 (51,5)	200	4,12	1,159
I can say that the main focus in the education curriculum in schools is academic education.	6 (3,4)	12 (6,9)	30 (17,1)	47 (26,9)	80 (45,7)	175	4,05	1,103
I  believe  that  the  animal-assisted  therapy  method  can  be effective for people with disabilities.	16 (8,0)	6 (3,0)	44 (22,0)	37 (18,5)	85 (42,5)	188	3,90	1,256
I believe I can take responsibility/success in caring for a farm animal.	20 (10,0)	11 (5,5)	55 (27,5)	30 (15,0)	84 (42,0)	200	3,74	1,324
I have information about the animal-assisted therapy method (animal assisted treatment/rehabilitation).	47 (23,5)	19 (9,5)	55 (27,5)	23 (11,5)	56 (28,0)	200	3,11	1,506
I see school only as a place where academic skills are taught.	43 (24,6)	25 (14,3)	35 (20,0)	27 (15,4)	45 (25,7)	175	3,03	1,523
Employment  of  people  with  disabilities  is  necessary  only because it provides psychological support to the individual.	45 (22,6)	42 (21,1)	46 (23,1)	21 (10,6)	45 (22,6)	199	2,89	1,458
I only see myself as a consumer.	50 (25,1)	39 (19,6)	50 (25,1)	22 (11,1)	38 (19,1)	199	2,79	1,429
Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities only provides financial gain to the individual.	58 (29,0)	37 (18,5)	41 (20,5)	17 (8,5)	47 (23,5)	200	2,79	1,529
Employment of people with disabilities is only necessary for financial gain.	79 (39,5)	48 (24,0)	33 (16,5)	15 (7,5)	25 (12,5)	200	2,29	1,381

Table 6: Attitudes (N and %Values), Frequency Means and Standard Deviations of Persons with Disabilities Participating in the Research.

Considering the first five propositions with the highest level of participation in the study according to frequency average values; The highest participation level of disabled individuals is with an average of 4.80 “The self-confidence of employed disabled individuals will improve”, with an average of 4.73 participation level “Employment will prevent the exclusion of disabled people from society”, with an average of 4.61 participation level “I believe that disabled people have employment problems”, with an average of 4.60 participation level “Persons with disabilities who are employed will be independent individuals” and with an average of 4.51 participation level “I would like to include more job and vocational training in the current education curriculum” (Table 6). It is seen that the participant disabled individuals evaluate the proposition with the average of the five highest levels of participation as “I totally agree”.

Considering the last five propositions with the lowest level of participation in the study according to the frequency average values; The lowest participation level of disabled people is “Employment of disabled people is necessary only for financial gain” with an average of 2.29, “employment of disabled people in livestock activities only provides financial gain to the individual” with an average of 2.79 participation level, and “I see myself only as a consumer” with the same average, “Employment of disabled people is necessary only because it provides psychological support to the individual” with an average of 2.89 participation level, and with an average of 3.03 participation level “I see school only as a place where academic skills are gained” were response (Table 6). It is seen that the participating disabled individuals evaluate the proposition with the lowest average of five levels of participation as “I do not agree” and “I am undecided”.

When the propositions other than the propositions with the highest and lowest levels of participation in the study are taken into account, it is seen that the average participation level of the participating disabled individuals varies between 3.11 and 4.43 and they generally evaluate these propositions as “I agree with” (Table 6).

Instructors

The socio-demographic characteristics of the Trainers participating in the research are presented in table 7. 44.7% of the trainers participating in the research are male and 55.3% are female participants. 34.1% of the participant trainers are in the 22-27 age range, 38.6% are in the 28-33 age range, 13.6% are in the 34-39 age range, 9.1% are in the 40-45 age range, and it is seen that 4.5% of them are over 45 years old. In terms of education level, 85.6% of the trainers are undergraduate, 13.6% graduate and 0.8% doctoral graduate. In the considering the service time in the profession, 45.5% of the participant trainers are 1-5 years, 34.8% are 6-10 years, 11.4% are 11-15 years and 8.4% are 16 years and over have been determined.

Characteristics		Observation number (n)	%
Gender	Male	59	44,7
	Female	73	55,3
Age	22-27	45	34,1
	28-33	51	38,6
	34-39	18	13,6
	40-45	12	9,1
	46+	6	4,5
Educational Status	University	113	85,6
	Master	18	13,6
	Ph.D	1	0,8
Length   of   service   in   the profession	1-5 years	60	45,5
	6-10 years	46	34,8
	11-15 years	15	11,4
	16+ years	11	8,4

Table 7: Socio-Demographical Characteristics of the Teacher Participating in the Research.

The knowledge and opinions of the instructors participating in the research about their disabled students are presented in table 8. The participant trainers answered “Yes” with 72.7% and “No” with 27.3% to the question “I had the opportunity to observe my students while they were spending time with an animal”. Of those who answered yes, 92.7% they stated that the students did not show any behavioral problems to the question “How did your students behave while spending time with animals?” and 7.3% of them stated that the students showed behavioral problems. 48% of the participant trainers reported that they went with students to animal farms or animal shelters, while 52% reported that they haven’t been there. The participating trainers stated that 68.9% of the students who were taken to animal farms or animal shelters had a positive attitude, while only 11.5% had a negative attitude.

Question		Observation number (n)	%
I had the opportunity to observe my students spending time with an animal.	No	96	72,7
	Yes	36	27,3
If your answer is yes; In general, how did your students behave while spending time with the animal?	They did not show any behavior problems	89	92,7
	They showed a behavior problem	7	7,3
I took my students to animal farms or animal shelters for excursions.	Yes	61	48,0
	No	66	52,0
If your answer is yes; What was your student's attitude towards animals?	positive attitude	42	68,9
	Negative attitude	7	11,5
	No attitude	12	19,6
I have a student who has a pet.	Yes	64	51,2
	No	61	48,8
I have knowledge about animal assisted therapy method (animal assisted rehabilitation).	Yes	56	44,1
	No	71	55,9
In which production activity do you believe people with disabilities will be more successful?	Agriculture/ Livestock	56	42,4
	Workshop/ industry	38	28,8
	Officer	16	12,1
	Self- employment	22	16,7
I have student(s) employed after graduation	Yes	43	33,6
	No	85	66,4
If your answer is yes; In which field are the student/s employed?	Agriculture/ Livestock	2	4,6
	workshop/ industry	8	18,6
	Officer	6	14,0
	Self- employment	27	62,8

Table 8: Information and Opinions of the Teacher Participating in the Research on Students with Disabilities.

The trainers stated that 51.2% of their students have pets. In addition, 44.1% of the participant trainers answered “Yes” to the question “I have knowledge about the animal-assisted therapymethod (animal assisted rehabilitation)”, while 55.9% answered “No”.

While the participant trainers answered “Yes” at the rate of 33.6% to the question “I have students/s who are employed after graduation”, 4.6% of them are in the field of agriculture/livestock, 18.6% are in the workshop/industry field, 14% They stated that they are employed in civil servants and 62.8% in self-employment fields. To the question“In which production activity do you believe people with disabilities will be more successful?” 42.4% of the trainers stated that they believed they would be more successful in the field of agriculture/livestock, 28.8% in the workshop/industry, 12.1% in civil service and 16.7% in selfemployment (Table 8).

The attitudes (n and % values), frequency averages and standard deviations of the instructors participating in the research are given in table 9.

Scale Questions	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Indecisive	Agree	Strongly agree	N	Mean	St, Deviation
I want my students to have a profession.	3 (2,3)	0 (0,0)	3 (2,3)	15 (11,6)	108 (83,7)	129	4,74	0,721
I would like to see disabled individuals in production activities.	2 (1,5)	2 (1,5)	4 (3,1)	17 (13,1)	105 (80,8)	130	4,70	0,743
Self-confidence  of  people  with  disabilities  who  are  employed  will improve.	1 (0,8)	0 (0,0)	4 (3,1)	34 (26,2)	91 (70,0)	130	4,65	0,621
Employment will prevent people with disabilities from being excluded from society.	1 (0,8)	1 (0,8)	5 (3,8)	37 (28,5)	86 (66,2)	130	4,58	0,680
I believe that my students' behavioral problems can be cured with out- of-class practice activities (workshop, production, maintenance-repair).	1 (0,8)	1 (0,8)	9 (7,0)	31 (24,2)	86 (67,2)	128	4,56	0,729
The current curricula should include more job and vocational training.	2 (1,5)	0 (0,0)	9 (6,9)	32 (24,6)	87 (66,9)	130	4,55	0,758
Employment of disabled people in animal husbandry activities benefits families of disabled individuals.	1 (0,8)	2 (1,6)	9 (7,0)	33 (25,6)	84 (65,1)	129	4,53	0,761
Feeding animals or spending time with animals plays an important role in improving their mental, social and physical health.	1 (0,8)	0 (0,0)	8 (6,5)	39 (31,5)	76 (61,3)	124	4,52	0,692
Employment  of  disabled  individuals  in  livestock  activities  provides benefits to disabled individuals.	1 (0,8)	1 (0,8)	9 (6,9)	39 (30,0)	80 (61,5)	130	4,51	0,729
Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities is beneficial for our country.	1 (0,8)	0 (0,0)	17 (13,2)	37 (28,7)	74 (57,4)	130	4,51	0,729
State supports/incentives for disabled individuals to engage in animal husbandry activities should be increased.	1 (0,8)	2 (1,6)	13 (10,1)	29 (22,5)	84 (65,1)	129	4,50	0,802
In order for disabled individuals to engage in livestock activities, the laws/regulations related to businesses should be changed in a way that will benefit disabled individuals.	1 (0,8)	1 (0,8)	11 (8,7)	34 (26,8)	80 (63,0)	127	4,50	0,755
I am worried about how my students will continue their lives after the education period.	1 (0,8)	4 (3,1)	11 (8,5)	32 (24,8)	81 (62,8)	129	4,46	0,839
I believe that disabled people have employment problems.	6 (4,6)	4 (3,1)	11 (8,5)	24 (18,5)	85 (65,4)	130	4,37	1,072
In order to pave the way for the employability of disabled individuals in livestock activities; In-service courses related to livestock activities should be opened.	1 (0,8)	3 (2,3)	18 (14,0)	37 (28,7)	70 (54,3)	129	4,33	0,860
I think that disabled people can be employed in animal husbandry activities.	1 (0,8)	2 (1,5)	25 (19,2)	32 (24,6)	70 (53,8)	130	4,29	0,884
I work to instill a love of animals in my students.	1 (0,8)	1 (0,8)	19 (15,3)	45 (36,3)	58 (46,8)	124	4,27	0,810
I can say that my students who interact with animals are positively affected.	1 (0,9)	1 (0,9)	17 (14,5)	47 (40,2)	51 (43,6)	117	4,25	0,798
In order to pave the way for the employability of disabled individuals in livestock activities; It is necessary to add the course/courses related to animal husbandry to the school curriculum.	0 (0,0)	2 (1,6)	25 (19,4)	43 (33,3)	59 (45,7)	129	4,23	0,815
Employment of disabled people in livestock activities benefits business owners.	2 (1,5)	3 (2,3)	22 (16,9)	45 (34,6)	58 (44,6)	130	4,18	0,905
I believe that the animal-assisted therapy method can be effective for people with disabilities.	1 (0,8)	2 (1,7)	20 (16,5)	51 (42,1)	47 (38,8)	121	4,17	0,820
Regarding my students' career acquisition; I provide guidance to the parents of my students.	2 (1,6)	4 (3,1)	22 (17,1)	49 (38,0)	52 (40,3)	129	4,12	0,910
I believe that people with disabilities can assume responsibility/success in caring for an animal.	1 (0,8)	5 (4,1)	23 (18,7)	49 (39,8)	45 (36,6)	123	4,07	0,889
Persons  with  disabilities  who  are  employed  will  be  independent individuals.	3 (2,3)	7 (5,4)	21 (16,3)	46 (35,7)	52 (40,3)	129	4,06	0,998
In our school, I do work and professional skills related work with my students.	3 (2,3)	16 (12,3)	32 (24,6)	46 (35,4)	33 (25,4)	130	3,69	1,055
I can say that the intensity of the education curriculum in schools is in academic education.	2 (1,5)	15 (11,5)	38 (29,2)	42 (32,3)	33 (25,4)	130	3,68	1,027
My students take responsibilities related to animal care.	6 (5,1)	12 (10,2)	43 (36,4)	33 (28,0)	24 (20,3)	118	3,48	1,084
Employment of people with disabilities is necessary only because it provides psychological support to the individual.	47 (36,4)	29 (22,5)	30 (23,3)	13 (10,1)	10 (7,8)	129	2,30	1,272
Disabled individuals. their employment in livestock activities. It only provides financial gain to the individual.	53 (41,1)	45 (34,9)	12 (9,3)	10 (7,8)	9 (7,0)	129	2,05	1,205
I see school only as a place where academic skills are taught.	71 (54,6)	23 (17,7)	20 (15,4)	10 (7,7)	6 (4,6)	130	1,90	1,193
Employment of people with disabilities is only necessary for financial gain.	66 (50,8)	40 (30,8)	13 (10,0)	4 (3,1)	7 (5,4)	130	1,82	1,091
I see disabled people only as consumers.	85 (65,4)	32 (24,6)	4 (3,1)	3 (2,3)	6 (4,6)	130	1,56	1,004

Table 9: Attitudes (N and % Values), Frequency Means and Standard Deviations of Teachers Participating in the Research.

Considering the first five propositions with the highest level of participation in the study according to frequency average values; They are listed as the highest participation level of the instructors is “I want my disabled students to have a profession” with an average of 4.74, “I would like to see disabled individuals in production activities” with an average of 4.70 participation level, “The self-confidence of people with disabilities who are employed will improve” with an average of 4.65 participation level, “I believe that my students’ behavioral problems can be cured with out-of-class practice activities (workshop, production, maintenance-repair)” with an average of 4.58 participation level, and “Employment will prevent individuals with disabilities from being excluded from society” with an average of 4.56 participation levels (Table 9). Participating trainers evaluated these 5 propositions as “I totally agree”.

Considering the last five propositions with the lowest level of participation in the study according to the frequency average values; The lowest participation level of the trainers with an average of 1.56 is “I see disabled people only as consumers”, with an average of 1.82 participation level “employment of people with disabilities is necessary only for financial gain”, with an average of 1.90 participation level “I see school only as academic skills”, with an average of 2.05 participation level, “Employment of individuals with disabilities in livestock activities only provides financial gain for the individual”, and “Employment of individuals with disabilities is necessary because it provides psychological support to the individual” with an average of 2.30 participation level (Table 9). It is seen that the participant trainers evaluated these last five statements with the lowest average participation level as “I do not agree”

Considering the propositions other than the propositions with the highest and lowest levels of participation in the study, it is seen that the average participation level of the participant trainers varies between 3.48 and 4.55 and they generally evaluate these propositions as “I agree with” (Table 9).

In addition, the trainer participants participating in the research;“Persons with disabilities, feeding animals or spending time with animals. It plays an important role in improving mental, social and physical health” was answered positively by 92.8%, and to the question “employment of disabled individuals in animal husbandry activities provides benefits to disabled individuals”, 91.5% answered positively “I have positive feedback from students who interact with animals”. It was observed that 83.8% answered positively to the question “I can say that people with disabilities are affected by the care of an animal” and 76.4% positively to the question “I believe that disabled individuals can assume responsibility/success in the care of an animal”. When the answers given to these questions are evaluated; of the participating trainers, about people with disabilities; it is concluded that they think that they can take responsibility in animal care and nutrition and that disabled individuals can be positively affected while spending time with animals.

It can also be seen when we look at other studies [2,4,7,9] that this results will provide both job opportunities and psychological support to people with disabilities.

Business owners/Responsibilities

The socio-demographic characteristics of the business managers participating in the research are shown in table 10.

Characteristics		(n)	%
Sex	Male	60	90,9
	Famale	6	9,1
Educational Status	No education	5	7,6
	Primary school	12	18,2
	Middle School	5	7,6
	High school	19	28,8
	Associate degree	10	15,2
	University	7	10,6
	Master	2	3,0
	Doctorate	6	9,1
Age	<25	9	13,6
	25-34	27	40,9
	35-44	14	21,2
	45+	16	24,2

Table 10: Socio-Demographical Characteristics of Business Owners Participating in the Research.

As can be seen in table 10, 90.9% of the owners or responsible persons participating in the study are male and 9.1% are female. It has been determined that 13.6% of the participating business owners are under the age of 25, 40.9% are in the 25-34 age range, 21.2% are in the 35-44 age range, and 24.2% are 45 years old and over. 7.6% of the participant business owners did not receive any education, 18.2% primary school, 7.6% secondary school, 28.8% high school, 15.2% associate degree, 10.6% It is seen that 3% of them are undergraduate, 3% of them are graduates and 9.1% of them are doctoral graduates.

The socio-demographic characteristics of the enterprises participating in the research are presented in table 11. Considering the number of people working in the enterprises participating in the research, it has been determined that 81.8% of the enterprises employ 1-9 people, 10.6% 6-10 people and 7.6% 11-30 people. In the enterprises, 43.9% have no paid workers and there are family businesses, 45.5% have 1-5 wage workers, 4.5% 6-10 wage workers and 6.1% 11-30 workers. It has been reported that they employ wage workers. 16.7% of the participants answered yes to the question about whether they employ disabled people in enterprises.

		(n)	%
Number   of   people   working   in   the business?	1-5	54	81,8
	6-10	7	10,6
	11-30	5	7,6
Number of wage workers working in the enterprise?	0	29	43,9
	1-5	30	45,5
	6-10	3	4,5
	11-30	4	6,1
Disabled  person  worked/is  working  in the enterprise.	Evet	11	16,7
	Hayır	55	83,3

Table 11: Socio-Demographical Characteristics of the Businesses Participating in the Research.

Attitudes (n and % values), frequency averages and standard deviations of business owners participating in the research are presented in table 12.

Scale Questions	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Indecisive	Agree	Strongly agree	N	Mean	St, Deviation
State  supports/incentives  for  disabled  individuals  to  engage  in  animal husbandry activities should be increased.	0 (0,0)	1 (1,5)	2 (3,1)	12 (18,5)	50 (76,9)	65	4,71	0,605
I think that all individuals in society should have a profession.	1 (1,5)	5 (7,6)	15 (22,7)	23 (34,8)	22 (33,3)	66	4,65	0,734
I believe that people with disabilities should be helped by providing jobs.	1 (1,5)	0 (0,0)	1 (1,5)	24 (36,4)	40 (60,6)	66	4,55	0,683
In order to pave the way for the employability of disabled individuals in livestock activities; In-service courses related to livestock activities should be opened.	0 (0,0)	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	27 (42,2)	35 (54,7)	64	4,50	0,617
In order for disabled individuals to engage in livestock activities, the laws/ regulations related to businesses should be changed in a way that will benefit disabled individuals.	1 (1,5)	0 (0,0)	8 (12,3)	15 (23,1)	41 (63,1)	65	4,46	0,831
The determination and hard work of disabled employees also motivate their colleagues.	1 (1,5)	3 (4,5)	25 (37,9)	17 (25,8)	20 (30,3)	66	4,45	0,612
In order to work in harmony with people with disabilities, all employees should be given training on this issue (eg how to communicate with people with disabilities, etc.).	0 (0,0)	0 (0,0)	4 (6,1)	28 (42,4)	34 (51,5)	66	4,45	0,612
I believe that disabled people have employment problems.	0(0,0)	3 (4,5)	5 (7,6)	25 (37,9)	33 (50,0)	66	4,33	0,810
Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities provides benefits to disabled individuals.	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	3 (4,6)	32 (49,2)	28 (43,1)	65	4,31	0,769
Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities provides benefits to the families of individuals with disabilities.	0 (0,0)	1 (1,5)	7 (10,8)	31 (47,7)	26 (40,0)	65	4,26	0,713
I believe that disabled people can work like other individuals if the necessary arrangements and necessary opportunities are provided in the enterprise.	1 (1,5)	0 (0,0)	6 (9,1)	30 (45,5)	29 (43,9)	66	4,24	0,703
Employment will prevent people with disabilities from being excluded from society.	0 (0,0)	0 (0,0)	10 (15,2)	30 (45,5)	26 (39,4)	66	4,24	0,703
I think that disabled people can be employed in animal husbandry activities.	0 (0,0)	0 (0,0)	5 (7,6)	41 (62,1)	20 (30,3)	66	4,23	0,844
In order to pave the way for the employability of disabled individuals in livestock activities; It is necessary to add the course/courses related to animal husbandry to the school curriculum.	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	8 (12,3)	27 (41,5)	28 (43,1)	65	4,23	0,844
Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities is beneficial for our country.	1 (1,5)	0 (0,0)	8 (12,1)	33 (50,0)	24 (36,4)	65	4,20	0,769
I believe that if they receive adequate vocational training, disabled people can work like other individuals.	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	9 (13,6)	28 (42,4)	27 (40,9)	66	4,20	0,845
Self-confidence of people with disabilities who are employed will improve.	0 (0,0)	1 (1,5)	14 (21,2)	24 (36,4)	27 (40,9)	66	4,17	0,815
Persons with disabilities who are employed will be independent individuals.	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	13 (19,7)	27 (40,9)	24 (36,4)	66	4,09	0,872
Making people with disabilities work at a lower level than their qualifications is an injustice against them.	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	16 (24,6)	24 (36,9)	23 (35,4)	65	4,03	0,901
Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities benefits business owners.	0 (0,0)	3 (4,6)	18 (27,7)	22 (33,8)	22 (33,8)	65	3,97	0,901
I think people with disabilities should have a job.	1 (1,5)	1 (1,5)	8 (12,1)	21 (31,8)	35 (53,0)	66	3,91	1,003
People with disabilities generally do not avoid taking responsibility.	3 (4,5)	1 (1,5)	25 (38,5)	18 (27,7)	18 (27,7)	65	3,72	1,038
I think that our resources should be spent on vocational training of disabled people in our company.	17 (26,2)	7 (10,8)	5 (7,7)	17 (26,2)	19 (29,2)	65	3,22	1,606
Employment of people with disabilities is only necessary for financial gain.	18 (27,3)	20 (30,3)	9 (13,6)	10 (15,2)	9 (13,6)	66	2,58	1,393
Employment  of  disabled  individuals  in  livestock  activities  only  provides financial gain to the individual.	21 (32,8)	15 (23,4)	8 (12,5)	12 (18,8)	8 (12,5)	64	2,55	1,436
Employment of people with disabilities is necessary only because it provides psychological support to the individual.	16 (24,2)	24 (36,4)	13 (19,7)	3 (4,5)	10 (15,2)	66	2,50	1,327

Table 12: Attitudes (N and %Values), Frequency Means and Standard Deviations of Business Owner Participating in the Research.

Considering the first five propositions with the highest level of participation in the study according to frequency average values; they are listed as the highest level of participation of business owners with an average of 4.71 “State supports/incentives for disabled individuals to engage in animal husbandry activities should be increased”, with an average of 4.65 participation level “I think all individuals in the society should have a profession”, with an average of 4.55 participation level “I believe that people with disabilities should be helped by providing jobs”, with an average of 4.50 participation level “In order to pave the way for the employability of people with disabilities in livestock activities; In-service courses related to livestock activities should be opened”, and with an average participation level of 4.46 “Laws/regulations related to businesses should be changed in a way that will benefit disabled individuals so that disabled individuals can engage in livestock activities” (Table 12). It is seen that the participating business owners positively evaluate the proposition with the highest average of five levels of participation as “I totally agree” and “I agree with”.

Considering the last five propositions with the lowest level of participation in the study according to the frequency average values; The lowest level of participation of business owners with an average of 2.50 “The employment of disabled individuals is necessary because it provides psychological support to the individual”, with an average of 2.55 participation level “Employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities provides only financial gain to the individual”, with the average of 2.58 participation level “employment of disabled people is necessary only for financial gain”, with an average of 3.22 participation level “I think that our resources should be spent on the vocational training of disabled people in our enterprise” and with an average of 3.72 participation level “Disabled people, responsibility in general they do not avoid taking it” (Table 12). It is seen that the participating business owners evaluate the proposition with the mean of these two lowest levels of participation as “I do not agree”, the next two statements as “I am undecided” and the last statement as “I agree with”.

Considering the propositions other than the propositions with the highest and lowest levels of participation in the study, it is seen that the average participation level of the participating business owners varies between 3.72-4.45 and they evaluate these propositions as “I agree with” (Table 12).

In addition, the business owner/responsible participants participating in the research; To the question of “employment of people with disabilities in livestock activities benefits disabled people”, 92.3% answered positively, to the question “I think disabled people can be employed in livestock activities”, 92.5% answered positively, “If necessary arrangements and necessary opportunities are provided in the enterprise. It is seen that 89.4% of them answered positively to the question “I believe that disabled people can work like other individuals”, and 86.4% to the question “employment of disabled people in livestock activities is beneficial for our country”. When the answers given to these questions are evaluated; it is concluded that the owners and managers of the business think that the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities will not pose a problem and that disabled individuals can take responsibility in livestock activities.

Analysis of the employment of persons with disabilities in livestock activities

The average and standard deviation of the answers given by the disabled individuals, trainers and business managers participating in the study to the Likert scale questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities are given in table 13. The average obtained provides a general idea about the employment of the participating disabled individuals in livestock activities. Considering the averages according to the results of the analysis, it is seen that all participants have a positive opinion about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities and evaluate them as “I agree with” (Table 13).

Participant	N	Number of questions	Mean	St.Deviation	Kolmogorov-Smirnov test value	P
Disabled individuals	200	28	4,10	0,660	0,145	0,000**
Instructors	132	32	3,94	0,395	0,106	0,001**
Business Owners	66	27	4,02	0,406	0,101	0,090 NS
**:P<0,01, NS: Non-significant (P>0,05)

Table 13: Mean and Standard Deviation of Responses to Likert Scale Questions Regarding Employment of Livestock Activities and K-S Normal Distribution Test Results.

According to the results of the Mann-Whitney U Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the gender groups variable of the disabled participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, it was determined that there was no significant difference between women and men in terms of the answers given (P>0.05) (Table 14). According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the age groups variable of the disabled participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, there is a significant difference between the age groups in terms of the answers given (P<0.05). It was observed that the 1-12 age group variables had a significantly lower mean than the other groups. According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the educational status variable of the disabled participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, there is a significant difference (P<0.01) in terms of the answers given. no education and primary school education levels were found to have a significantly lower average than secondary school, undergraduate, associate degree and post graduate groups. According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the disability type variable of the disabled participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, there is a significant difference between the disability types in terms of the answers given (P<0.01). It was seen that the mean of mentalemotional and multiple disability type had significantly lower mean than the mean of hearing and chronic group. According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the disability ratio variable of the disabled participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, it was observed that there was no significant difference between the average disability ratios in terms of the answers given (P>0.05).

Independent variable		N	Mean	St. Deviation	P
Gender	Male	119	4,12	0,625	0,943NS
	Female	81	4,07	0,712
	General	200	4,10	0,839
Age group	1-12	58	3,93b	0,631	0,017*
	13-24	65	4,14a	0,713
	25-40	43	4,26a	0,479
	41+	34	4,12a	0,756
	General	200	4,10	0,660
Educational Status	No education	20	3,79b	0,872	0,005**
	Primary school	58	3,97b	0,597
	Middle School	39	4,34a	0,494
	High school	35	4,09ab	0,671
	Associate degree	11	4,37a	0,492
	Undergraduate	24	4,34a	0,377
	Master's degree	3	4,40a	0,300
	General	190	4,12	0,620
Disability Type	Mental	106	4,00ab	0,673	0,007**
	Seeing	21	4,14ab	0,526
	Hearing	7	4,51a	0,254
	Chronic	20	4,52a	0,289
	Orthopedic	30	4,20ab	0,575
	Language Speech	4	4,27ab	0,550
	Spiritual Emotional	2	3,20b	1,838
	Multiple Disability	10	3,73b	0,981
	General	200	4,10	0,660
Ob s t acle Ratio	20-39	22	4,27	0,494	0,131NS
	40-59	39	4,09	0,789
	60-79	78	4,20	0,520
	80-100	61	3,92	0,751
	General	200	4,10	0,660
*:P<0,05, **:P<0,01, NS: Non-significant (P>0,05).

Table 14: Some Independent Variables of Participating Persons with Disabilities, and the Mean, Standard Deviation and Test Results of the Responses to the Scaled Questions.

When the average values are examined in general, it is seen that the participants answered “I agree with” to the questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities (the lowest: 3.20 and the highest: 4.51).

When table 15 is examined, it has been determined that there is no significant difference between women and men in terms of the answers given according to the Mann-Whitney U Test, which was applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the gender groups of the trainer participants and the answers to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities (P>0.05). According to the results of the KruskalWallis Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the age groups variable of the trainer participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the age groups in terms of the answers given (P>0.05). It was determined that there was no significant difference in terms of the answers given according to the Mann-Whitney U Test, which was applied to determine whether there was a significant difference between the educational status variable of the trainer participants and the answers to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities (P>0.05). According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the service duration variable of the trainer participants and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, there is a statistically significant difference between the service time in terms of the answers given (P<0.05) and those with 16 years of service or more have a lower average than the other service time groups.

Independent variable		N	Mean	St.Deviation	P
Gender	Male	59	3,95	0,434	0,529NS
	Female	71	3,93	0,363
	General	130	3,94	0,395
Age group	22-27	43	3,93	0,273	0,088NS
	29-33	51	3,99	0,366
	34-39	18	4,07	0,336
	40-45	12	3,70	0,854
	46+	6	3,67	0,339
	General	130	3,94	0,395
Educational Status	Undergraduate	113	3,92	0,388	0,195NS
	Master's degree	17	4,06	0,430
	General	130	3,94	0,395
Length of service in the profession	1-5 years	58	3,94a	0,290	0,010*
	6-10 years	46	4,00a	0,470
	11-15 years	15	4,03a	0,398
	16+years	10	3,56b	0,406
	General	129	3,94	0,397
*:P<0,05, NS: Non-significant (P>0,05).

Table 15: Some Independent Variables of Participating Trainers and Mean, Standard Deviation and Test Results of Means of Responses to Scaled Questions.

When the average values are examined in general, it is seen that the trainer-participants answered the questions about the employment of disabled individuals in animal husbandry activities as “I agree with” (the lowest: 3.67 and the highest: 4.07), that is, they came to the conclusion that I approve the employment of disabled individuals in the relevant field (Table 15).

When table 16 is examined, it has been determined that there is no significant difference between women and men in terms of the answers given according to the results of the independent sample t-test applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the gender groups of the participants in charge of the enterprise and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities (P>0.05). According to the results of the Analysis of Variance applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the age groups variable of the operators and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the age groups in terms of the answers given (P>0.05). It has been determined that there is no significant difference in terms of the answers given according to the Variance Analysis result applied to determine whether there is a significant difference between the educational status variable of the participants in charge of the enterprise and the answers given to the scaled questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities (P>0.05).

Independent variable		N	Mean	St. Deviation	P
Gender	Male	60	4,00	0,393	0,341NS
	Female	6	4,17	0,539
	General	66	4,02	0,406
Age group	<25	9	3,96	0,409	0,889NS
	25-35	27	4,03	0,395
	36-45	14	4,08	0,477
	46+	16	3,98	0,387
	General	66	4,02	0,406
Educational Status	No education	5	3,84	0,451	0,367NS
	Primary school	12	3,91	0,340
	Middle School	5	4,22	0,455
	High school	19	3,93	0,450
	Associate degree	10	4,14	0,383
	Undergraduate	7	4,20	0,342
	Master's degree	8	4,05	0,071
	Ph.D.	6	4,10	0,460
	General	66	4,02	0,406
NS: Non-significant (P>0,05)

Table 16: Some Independent Variables of Participating Business Manager, and the Average, Standard Deviation and Test Results of the Answers to the Scaled Questions.

When the average values are examined in general, it is seen that the participants in charge of the enterprise answered “I agree with” to the questions about the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities (the lowest: 3.84 and the highest: 4.22).

Conclusions and Recommendations

59% of the disabled participants who participated in the research stated that they knew about farm animals, 78.5% liked animals, 79% said it was a pleasure to spend time with animals, 63.5% stated that the employment of disabled people was not just for financial gain, 57% believe that they can take responsibility for the care of a farm animal and be successful, 80.5% believe that individuals with disabilities can be employed in livestock activities and that individuals with disabilities will be beneficial in livestock activities, and 76% believe that they stated that it will play an important role in improving spending time with animals, mental, social and their physical health. As a result, when the answers are evaluated, it can be said that disabled individuals want to take responsibility for the care and feeding of animals and they are positively affected when spending time with animals.

The instructors participating in the research; 92.8% of people with disabilities, feeding animals or spending time with animals will play an important role in improving their mental, social and physical health, 91.5% of the trainers stated that the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities will benefit disabled individuals, 83.8% of the trainers stated that the students interacting with animals were positively affected and 76.4% of the trainers They stated that they believe that disabled people can take responsibility for the care of an animal and be successful. It is seen that the trainers evaluate that the self-confidence of the employed disabled individuals will improve, their exclusion from the society will be prevented and they will become an independent individual as “I totally agree”. When the answers given to these questions are evaluated; of the participating trainers, about people with disabilities; it is concluded that they think that they can take responsibility in animal care and nutrition and that disabled individuals can be positively affected while spending time with animals.

92.3% of employers stated that employing disabled individuals in livestock activities would benefit disabled individuals, 92.5% of employers stated that employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities would be positive, It is seen that they believe that they can work like other individuals in Turkey and that 86.4% of the employers stated that employing disabled individuals in livestock activities would be beneficial for the country’s economy. When the answers given to these questions are evaluated; It is concluded that the owners and managers of the business think that the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities will not pose a problem and that disabled individuals can take responsibility in livestock activities.

When evaluated in general, with the study carried out, the current situation and problems on disabled individuals, special education teachers and business managers related to the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities were revealed, the necessity of providing the necessary training and providing government incentives for the disabled individuals to enter the business life came to the fore, It has been foreseen that the employment of disabled individuals in livestock activities is necessary by both disabled individuals and their trainers, and business owners, and it has been concluded that those responsible for this area should work.

As a suggestion in order to pave the way for the employability of disabled individuals in livestock activities;

• Various tax incentives and supports can be given to businesses employing disabled people. These incentives and supports should specifically target small businesses. Thus, businesses with 49 or less employees are encouraged to employ disabled people (in accordance with Article 30 of the Labor Law No. 4857, 3% of disabled workers must be employed in private sector workplaces where 50 or more workers are employed).

• There may be non-refundable loans to businesses that make their businesses accessible to people with disabilities, that is, make facilitating adaptations for people with disabilities.

• SSI premiums to be paid by livestock enterprises that employ disabled individuals in their enterprises can be covered by the state. Similarly, income tax deductions can be applied to any disabled person hired.

• There may be support for vocational training to companies that want to employ people with disabilities. All kinds of support that will facilitate the employer’s provision of vocational training to disabled employees and disseminate this training can be considered in this context.

• Free animal, fodder, equipment, etc. by the state to businesses that employ disabled people in their businesses. support grants are available.

• The education curriculum applied in special education schools can be rearranged. In addition, the education given in these schools should not be limited to gaining self-care skills; Regardless of the disability of the person, it should provide opportunities to help him add his own talent and knowledge capacity to production.

• Apart from the current legal regulation that imposes a mandatory quota to recruit disabled people to workplaces, new regulations can be made to recognize positive discrimination in the field of animal husbandry for disabled people.

Acknowledgment

This study was supported by Atatürk University Scientific Research Projects Fund (Project no: FYL-2021-9109). We thank Atatürk University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit.

Disclosure Statement

The authors do not declare any conflict of interest.

References

1. Genç Y, Çat G (2013) Engellilerin İstihdamı ve Sosyal İçerme İlişkisi. J Academic Inquiries 8: 363-393. [Ref.]
2. Fırat S, Hızıroğlu M, Coşkun R (2009) Engelliler ve İstihdam. Sakarya Üniversitesi, Uzaktan eğitim ders notları. Sakarya Üniversitesi Yayınları.
3. TISK (Türkiye İşveren Sendikası Konfederasyonu) (2021). [Ref.]
4. Cevizci S, Erginöz E, BatlaşZ (2009) İnsan sağlığının iyileştirilmesine yönelik hayvan destekli tedaviler. Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Koruyucu Hekimlik Bülteni 8: 263-272.
5. Charnetski JC, Riggers S, Brennan FX (2004) Effects of petting a dog on immune system function. Psychol Rep 95: 1087-1091. [Ref.]
6. Stasi MF, Amati D, Costa C, Resta D, Senepa G, et al. (2004) Pet therapy: A trial for institutionalized frail elderly patients. Arch Gerontol Geriatr Suppl 9: 407-412. [Ref.]
7. Bizub AL, Joy A, Davidson L (2003) “It’s like being in another World”: Demonstrating the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with psychiatric disability. Psychiatr Rehabil J 26: 377- 384. [Ref.]
8. Edwards NE, Beck AM (2002) Animal-assisted therapy and nutrition in Alzheimer’s disease. West J Nurs Res 24: 697-712. [Ref.]
9. Barker SB, Pandurangi AK, BestAM (2003) Effects of animal-assisted therapy on patients’ anxiety, fear, and depression before ECT. J ECT 19: 38-44. [Ref.]

Download Provisional PDF Here

 

Article Information

Article Type: RESEARCH ARTICLE

Citation: Ozdemir M, Ozdemir M (2022) Should Disabled People Attend Livestock Activities? Disable People, Instructors and Employer Perspective. J Anim Sci Res 6(1): dx.doi.org/10.16966/2576-6457.157

Copyright: © 2022 Ozdemir M, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication history: 

Received date: 29 Apr, 2022

Accepted date: 19 May, 2022

Published date: 26 May, 2022