Additional Evidence for the Validity of the Employer Attitudes Toward Blind Employees Scale. (April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McDonnall, Michele C.
• Is Part Of: Rehabilitation counseling bulletin. Volume 60:Number 3(2017:Apr.)
• Page Start: 155
• Page End: 162
• Publication Date: 2017-04
• Subjects: attitudes -- disability(ies) -- sensory impairments -- measurement -- assessment -- employment; Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; 617.06
• DOI: 10.1177/0034355216642598
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0034-3552

Abstract

Negative employer attitudes have traditionally been considered one of the major barriers to employment faced by people who are blind or visually impaired. Recent research suggests this continues to be a problem, yet little research has directly measured employer attitudes toward this population. Data were collected from a large sample of hiring managers ( N = 382) to provide evidence for the validity of a recently developed instrument, the Employer Attitudes Toward Blind Employees Scale . Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the instrument, providing evidence for its reliability and validity. Social desirability bias was not found to be a significant problem with the instrument. Self-reported likelihood to hire a person who is blind or visually impaired in the future had a strong association with attitude scores, providing evidence for the scale's predictive validity.