Attitudes of Nondisabled Employers
Regarding Physically Disabled Employees

ABSTRACT

Evaluating physically disabled adults’ and nondisabled employers’ career
attitudes is the purpose in conducting this study. Hypothesis one states
that younger employers are more likely to hire physically handicapped
applicants than older employers (Backenroth, 1996).
Hypothesis two documents that physically disabled females experience
depression more
than physically disabled males (O’Keefe, 1993). Hypothesis three claims
that physically
disabled males gain employment more easily than physically disabled
females (Rohe &
Krause, 1999). Hypothesis four reports that employers make more
accommodations for
nondisabled employees than disabled employees (Colella, DeNisi, & Varma,
1998). 72
disabled participants will take a twenty minutes on-line survey
consisting of demographic
questions, Subjective Probability depression questions, and Rosenberg
self esteem
questions (Gotlib, Lewinsohn, Seeley, Rohde, & Redner, 1993). 19
nondisabled
participants will take a fifteen minute on-line survey consisting of
demographic
questions, and preference regarding hiring through the Disability Rights
Attitude Scale
(Hernandez, Keys, Balcazar, & Drum, 1998).

Discussion

Data supported hypothesis one, which stated that younger employers are
more likely to hire physically handicapped applicants than older
employers (Backenroth, 1996). Data failed to support hypothesis two,
which claimed that physically disabled females experience depression
more than physically disabled males (O’Keefe, 1993). Data failed to
support hypothesis three, which postulated that physically disabled
males gain employment more easily than physically disabled females (Rohe
& Krause, 1999). Data  supported hypothesis four, which declared that
employers make more accommodations for nondisabled employees than
disabled employees (Colella, DeNisi, & Varma, 1998).
There was a discrepancy between the results and the literature.  Results
proved that physically disabled females do not experience depression
more than physically disabled males.  It was conclusive that all
respondents were not depressed.   However, results indicated that all
disabled respondents felt useless and did not feel that they could do
things as well as most other people.  Results illustrated that disabled
females gained employment more easily than disabled males.  Results
displayed that nondisabled participants were willing to accommodate
disabled employees more than nondisabled employees.  Both the literature
and results supported that younger employers are more likely to hire
physically handicapped applicants than older employers.
Overall, the majority of disabled participants were graduate students,
felt useless and did not feel that they could do things as well as most
other people, and were unemployed.  Nondisabled employers were not
willing to accommodate disabled employees more than nondisabled
employees.  The investigator suspected that the fourteen percent of
disabled participants, who had full-time jobs, might have been hired by
younger employers.  In order to thoroughly determine this issue, a
larger sample of nondisabled employers, located in geographical areas
other than New Jersey, must participate in similar studies that will be
conducted in the future.



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