INCHING TOWARDS INTEGRATION: FACTORS AFFECTING COWORKER ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

Employees with disabilities (EWDs) have to overcome many barriers in order to gain employment and become socially integrated into their organizations. Although there are many factors that contribute to the exclusion of those with disabilities, negative attitudes towards EWDs are perhaps the biggest barrier. This study examines how the coworker characteristics of age, education, gender, career/major, and the amount and quality of contact with persons with disabilities, along with the EWD’s characteristics of disability type and level of severity, affect the assumptions made about EWDs. This study utilized a 3 x 2 between subjects design, with three categories of disability type (sensory disorder, physical disability, and mental health disability) and two levels of severity (low & high). Profiles were used to house this disability information, and 433 participants responded to items on a survey based on the employee profile provided. Age was positively related to assumptions about EWDs with sensory disorders. In other words, those who are older gave more positive ratings of the profiled employee portraying a sensory disorder (i.e., hearing loss). Our sample also displayed differences across disability types, with assumptions about mental health disability being most negative; however, methodological limitations did not enable a direct inferential test of this finding’s generalizability. No significant results were found for the remaining hypotheses. Potential reasons and implications are discussed.