Employer Attitudes toward Workers with Disabilities and Their ADA Employment Rights: A Literature Review

Abstract

Approximately 54 million noninstitutionalized Americans have physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities. Of these cases, 26 million are classified as having a severe disability (US Bureau of the Census, 1999). Severe disabilities include Alzheimer's disease, autism, mental retardation, and long-term use of a cane, crutches, walker, or wheelchair. Historically, individuals with disabilities have not fared well in the US labor force (Braddock & Bachelder, 1994). Census figures indicate that of the 15.6 million working-age adults with disabilities (aged 16-64), only 34.6% were employed. In contrast, the employment rate of those without disabilities was 79.8% (US Bureau of the Census, 1993). In their review of the literature, Wilgosh and Skaret (1987) concluded that employer attitudes are a potential barrier to employment opportunities for people with disabilities. However, this body of research has not been reviewed since 1987 and in the interim the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 has been enacted. The ADA is the most comprehensive civil rights law protecting individuals with disabilities in employment settings to date. The present literature review focuses on four themes, including (a) employer attitudes toward workers with disabilities, (b) employer attitudes toward the ADA employment rights, (c) employer attitudes toward workers with severe disabilities who have participated in supported vocational and employment programs, and (d) the extent to which these employer attitudes differ from those reported in 1987 when this literature was last reviewed (Greenwood & Johnson, 1987; Wilgosh & Skaret, 1987). Prior to the passage of the ADA in 1990, Wilgosh and Skaret (1987) concluded that: 1) in some cases, employer attitudes were negative and thus likely to inhibit the employment and advancement of people with disabilities; 2) prior positive contact with people with disabilities was related to favorable employer attitudes; and 3) a discrepancy existed between employers' expressed willingness to hire applicants with disabilities and their actual hiring practices. Greenwood and Johnson's (1987) review examined employer characteristics and their receptivity to hiring applicants with disabilities. The authors found that: 1) employers from larger companies reported more positive attitudes than those from smaller ones; 2) respondents with higher levels of academic attainment expressed more positive attitudes than those with lower academic attainment; and 3) employers were more likely to express positive attitudes toward individuals with physical or sensory disabilities than those with intellectual or psychiatric disabilities. Success of the ADA employment provisions is highly contingent on the actions and attitudes of employers (Fowler & Wadsworth, 1991; Watson, 1994; Wehman, 1993). The quality and efficiency of implementation activities will depend greatly on their willingness to accept the spirit of the law. This view is affirmed by Tony Coelho, Chairman of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and one of the authors of the ADA. Mr. Coelho noted that although innovative programs, actual job opportunities, and federal and local laws are still needed, employer attitudes are now the main obstacle for people with disabilities in the employment arena (Conference Report: President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, 1997). The present paper reviewed studies regarding employer attitudes toward workers with disabilities since the reviews by Wilgosh and Skaret (1987) and Greenwood and Johnson (1987). Specifically, this review investigated the current status of employer attitudes, the persistence of major trends from prior reviews, and the quality of the research since 1987. This review also examined studies assessing employer attitudes toward ADA employment provisions. More specifically, this paper reviewed 37 studies that were available from 1987 through the summer of 1999. …

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