National Survey

National Survey of Consumer Attitudes Documenting consumer support for businesses that hire individuals with disabilities

Context

Students and adults with disabilities, particularly with intellectual disabilities (ID), are often challenged in the school and the work settings by negative attitudes and misperceptions. Presently, major advances are being made to improve the social skills of adolescents in the school setting as well as in the preparation of students with disabilities to transition into the workforce. However, teachers, counselors, and potential employers continually underestimate the competence of individuals with disabilities, in particular those individuals with ID. As a result, future employers often have low expectations for a potential employee with a disability, and thus are a formidable barrier to their future employment.

The Project

In the summer of 2003, CSDE partnered with the America's Strength Foundation (ASF) to conduct "A national survey of consumer attitudes toward companies that hire individuals with disabilities." In contrast to research focusing on the attitudes of employers, this study is one of the first to examine the attitudes of consumers toward companies that hire people with disabilities. The survey included 803 adults who were randomly selected across the continental U.S. It was conducted with help from the Center for Survey Research and the Gallup Organization.

Results

CSDE researchers found an overwhelmingly positive attitude among consumers toward socially responsible companies, and in particular toward those that hire individuals with disabilities. Ninety-two percent of consumers surveyed felt more favorable toward companies that hire individuals with disabilities and 87 percent said they would prefer to give their business to such companies. Seventy-five percent of respondents reported that they had either woked directly with someone with a disability and/or received services as a customer from a person with a disability. Ninety-one percent of those with a disabled coworker said that the job performance of his or her coworker was "very good" or "good." Ninety-eight percent of those who had been served by a disabled worker were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the services they received.

The study was published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation (IOS Press).

Looking Ahead

This year, working in partnership with ASF and Virginia Commonwealth University with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration, CSDE will produce a film that highlights companies that make it part of their mission to hire people with disabilities.