Employer Perceptions Toward Hiring People with Disabilities

Abstract

The objective of this research was to identify hiring manger perceptions in the workforce toward hiring and working with people with disabilities. The concepts of stigma, attribution theory, and the spread effect are examined in regard to their impact on individuals and their counter productiveness in regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Potential suggestions are made as to how this stigma and bias can be reduced. Recommendations are made to help business and rehabilitation professionals reduce this stigma and increase employment rates of individuals with disabilities by being creative, proactive, professional, and responsive to the needs not only of potential employers but also to the consumers of rehabilitation services. The results of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in manager perceptions of hiring PWD based on their collective scores on the Employer Perceptions Toward Hiring People with Disabilities attitude scale. These results suggest that employer responses toward hiring people with disabilities were less than positive.