Perceptions and Bias of Small Business Leaders in Employing People with Different Types of Disabilities.
Nanette Goodman, Samantha Deane, Fitore Hyseni and 3 others
PMID 38740678WHAT IT FOUND
Small business owners and managers said they were least likely to hire someone who is blind and most likely to hire someone with a physical disability.
Their top concern was fear of legal trouble when disciplining staff, not accommodation costs or customer reactions.
Key findings
01Employers differentiated between disability types, being least willing to hire people who are blind and most willing to hire people with physical disabilities.
02The most common barrier reported was the fear of not being able to discipline or fire an employee with a disability, cited by 38.5% of respondents.
03Larger companies covered by the ADA reported significantly higher willingness to hire people with blindness, mental health disabilities, and intellectual disabilities than smaller non-covered companies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study measured stated intent to hire, not actual hiring behavior, and there is often a gap between what employers say they will do and what they do. Social desirability bias may have led respondents to underreport negative attitudes or concerns about hiring people with disabilities. The survey categorized disabilities into broad groups (e.g., 'blindness'), which may not reflect the vast diversity of abilities and needs within those categories. The sample was weighted to represent US small businesses, but the data is cross-sectional and cannot determine causality.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower reported concern about customer reactions (13.0%) as evidence that stigma is not a barrier. The authors note that low reported concern across all barriers may reflect social desirability bias, where employers hide negative attitudes in surveys. Additionally, do not assume these attitudes apply to all employers; the study only surveyed small businesses with fewer than 100 employees.