A Study of Differential Employers' Attitude Towards Hiring People with Physical, Mental, and Sensory Disabilities in Restaurant Industry

With a continued tight labor market and an increasing need for labor in restaurant industry, the time appears ripe for restaurant employers to pursue the untapped source of qualified workers-people with disabilities. The objectives of the study are (1) to determine if employers' attitude differs based on different disability types; (2) to discover the underlying dimensions of food service employers' attitude towards disabled employees and, (3) to examine the impact of restaurant employers' attitudes on their hiring practices. The survey population was restaurant employers who are members of Oklahoma Restaurant Association (ORA), and a simple random sampling approach was used to survey 500 ORA members. Repeated-measures one-way ANOVA, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis were employed for data analysis. The study showed that employers held more positive attitude towards employees with sensory impairment and physical disability than towards those that are mentally disabled. It also revealed that employers' attitude towards physical and sensory disabled workers had a positive impact on the probability to hire the disabled people. The results also showed that prior positive working experiences with disabled people were related to favorable employers' attitudes.