Copeland, J.L. (2007). Impact of Disability in the Workplace: An Assessment of Employer Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University, 2007). UMI 3268598.

People with disabilities continue to be the poorest, least educated, and least employed group in the United States. While several conditions contribute to their low labor market participation, negative attitudes of employers continue to present a barrier to the integration of this group in the workplace. The purpose of the study was to examine employer attitudes toward disability in the workplace. The study examined beliefs about what constitutes a disability, affective reactions toward working with individuals with disabilities, and beliefs about the reasonableness of common workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities and their relationship with several demographic characteristics. Results from a survey of employers indicate that while attitudes are generally positive, there is still some level of confusion regarding what conditions are protected by the ADA. Overall familiarity with disability is the only characteristics predicting attitude. Implications are discussed and recommendations for researchers, policy makers, educators, employers, service providers, and workers with disabilities are offered.

Yeager, Patricia (2009). People with Disabilities: To work or not - the choice is yours.

True independence for many persons with disabilities comes from working.  Today there are policies in place that allow people with disabilities to go to work and not lose their benefits.  “Employment supports” is a new way of looking at receiving income and benefits from both a job and government sources for persons with disabilities who have high cost needs.  However the lure of government benefits is proving hard to resist.  With 99% of people who go on government benefits not leaving the rolls (LaPlante, M., et al., 1996) we wondered why those who did go to work chose to do so.  The purpose of this study was to find out what benefits the participants got from work other than money. We also asked for strategies participants used to go to work.  Interviews were conducted with 21 people with disabilities in California, Colorado, Montana and Utah during the summer of 2008.  The results from the study are used to inform people with disabilities who are wondering if work is “worth the trouble.” The study presents compelling reasons for working, several strategies for getting to work and gives people with disabilities options as they consider employment.

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