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. -- Click to meet me... http://home.att.net/~ysinger/ http://home.att.net/~ymsinger/