iversity employees are directed toward the disabled alone.
The attitudes of companies toward the disabled were, at least in some cases, identified in a study conducted by Slonaker and Wendt (1995). This research examined claims filed by workers who have disabilities and the characteristics of those claims. In their review of over 3, 512 claims, greater than 95 percent of these were employment discrimination claims.
According to the authors, three patterns of employer discrimination against workers with disabilities were revealed. First, workers (43 percent) complained that their employers and fellow workers often regarded working with them as an inconvenience. They felt that they had to do too much of the disabled worker's job.
Second, disabled workers (21 percent) claimed that their employer refused to make reasonable accommodations for them. Third, disabled workers (13 percent) said that their employers were so anxious to get rid of them, they used very small amounts of absenteeism as an excuse for firing.
In another study of attitudes toward the disabled in the workplace situation, King (1993) reported that:
Although certain disabilities might limit a person's ability to perform certain types of jobs, bias and discrimination are by far the greatest barriers to employment that people with disabilities encounter. (p. 44)
The veracity of King's words can be seen from the two previous studies just cited.
However, King (1993) notes that negative and discriminatory attitudes toward the disabled can be corrected through training. For example, he states that company trainers can use experiential exercises to teach coworkers practical strategies for interacting courteously with disabled colleagues. These types of exercises are said to help break down fears and prejudices that nondisabled workers might harbor toward people with disabilities.
King (1993) provides an example of one exercise aimed at teachin...