EMPLOYING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES - IMPACT OF ATTITUDE AND SITUATION

This study examined the impact of attitude and hypothetical situationa l encounters on affective, behavioral and cognitive responses of nondi sabled employees toward coworkers with disabilities. Subjects complete d the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale, and responded to 1 of 9 situations of varying levels of intimacy in which they imagined thems elves and a person with an immediately obvious disability. Their affec tive, behavioral add cognitive reactions were assessed by 3 different measures. Both more negative attitudes and situations with higher disc omfort levels resulted in the most negative responses. Attitude and si tuation independently influenced responses. These findings provide a b asis for interventions by rehabilitation professionals who work with i ndividuals with disabilities and for employers seeking to implement th e Americans with Disabilities Act.