Assessing employers’ stigmatizing attitudes toward people with disabilities: A brief report

Abstract

BACKGROUND: People with disabilities are one of the most marginalized groups in society, and having a disability significantly increases the likelihood of unemployment or underemployment. The reluctance to hire individuals with disabilities is significantly influenced by the longstanding, negative stereotypes of people with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: To better understand employers’ negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities, assessment tools must properly capture factors contributing to this stigma. METHODS: The Employers’ Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities Scale (ESATPD) was validated in the current study. RESULTS: Results of the exploratory factor analysis indicate a strong, unidimensional structure of the scale accounting for 47.14% of the total variance with a sample. The single ESATPD factor was labeled employment stigma. In addition, higher levels of employers’ stigma were related to negative attitudes toward disability, decreased support of recruitment efforts, as well as decreased intentions of hiring people with disabilities. CONCLUSION: Results support the implementation of tailored interventions directed at specific areas of concern for employers and employees in hiring positions.