ERIC Number: ED411623
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1995
Pages: 41
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Different Perspectives: Workplace Experience with the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.
Butterworth, John; Pitt-Catsouphes, Marcie
This report discusses the findings of a project that conducted a series of six focus groups to gather information from different employee groups about their perceptions of issues pertaining to the employment of individuals with disabilities. Focus groups were convened with human resource managers, supervisors, and coworkers of employees with disabilities (n=32). Key findings include: (1) administrators had more favorable opinions about the availability and efficacy of formal policies and programs already established at their workplaces than did supervisors or coworkers; (2) supervisors and coworkers commented on the importance of informal supports; (3) participants felt that the importance of informal supports is heightened when few formal supports exist; (4) it appeared that disability-related issues were considered out of bounds for discussion, in part because the restrictions of the Americans with Disabilities Act makes it difficult for anyone other than an employee with a disability to initiate discussions about disability-related issues; and (5) there continued to be an impression that issues related to the employment of individuals with disabilities is a "peripheral" issue that affects only a few people at the workplace. Findings that have implications for placement agencies, employers, and employees with disabilities are discussed. (Contains 35 references.) (CR)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Inst. on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. Inst. for Community Inclusion.; Boston Univ., MA. Center on Work and Family.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A