Discrimination Essays (1786 words) - Psychometrics, Market Research

Discrimination Discrimination against the disabled people in the workplace has been an issue for a long time and it is still a rife in employing these individuals. Although many organizations do use a pre-test to screen applicants, the HR department does not consider other employee?s attitude or discrimation in working with the disabled. In this paper, this writer will design a test that will help in determining this situation. Within this first part of this paper, this writer has chosen a construct that will be measured, scaled, in the second half of this paper, she will justify why she chose this topic of discrimination among disabled employees. The construct to be measured is how companies are discriminating against hiring disabled people. In order to determine if companies are discriminating against hiring people with a disability should have a direct or indirect advantage in taking a positive and proactive approach to employing disabled people (Williams, 2002). Although many businesses do have an obligation under the Disability Discrimination Act, a test will be constructed to focus on how co-workers and employers treat these disabled individuals. Within this test, specific questions will be presented to different employers to determine if the company is being discriminating against hiring these individuals. In addition, the test constructed will also take into consideration is the attitude and behaviors of the co-workers and the disable employees and how it affects these individuals to do his or her job will be part of this measurement. Several tests have been used to evaluate if a disabled person is qualified to work. Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Act gives everyone the right to work in which the American with Disabilities Act outlaws employment discrimination. This act takes several forms that explicitly define the rights and status of opportunities of disabled individuals (Law Encyclopedia, 2010). Using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale has been reliable and valid to test an individual?s adaptive level of functioning, this test has been useful in assessing a disabled individual?s daily functioning and is a process that has helped these handicap people adapt to working (Anonymous, 2010). Another test that has been used is the Lazar?s Attitude toward Handicap Individuals Scale of 1973, in which a six-point Likert type scale was used to determine the extent of the participant?s attitude towards discrimination against the handicap. Although this method of scaling and measuring was a study on a limited geographic area, different attitudes concerning disabled individuals have shown negativity in the study of Fichten and Amsel in 1986. Out of 21 traits that were attributed to disabled and non-disabled individuals on unsocialable, insecure, helpless, and undemanding, and honest are representative of these traits were considered on the negative side (Lucas, 2009). These individuals who possess these negative attitudes tend to perceive these disabled individuals as different, incompetent and inferior to themselves. This would show that the construct of discrimination against disabled individuals in the workplace can be considered valid. In surveying 700 businesses, 86% agreed to pick a non-disabled individual over a disabled individual while 92% said there was still discrimination against disabled people in employment and recruitment. This study found that the level of discrimination among disable people still face is all the more surprising given the perception among respondents that they are more loyal workers. Many organizations employ more than 25 disabled individuals, but 90% of respondents do not agree that the average turnover rate for the disabled workers would be higher than that of a non-disabled individual, 43% did not think that disabled people would be more likely to be frequently absent, so in the preconception of disabled individuals in the workforce taking time off because of his or her disability has been untrue and bias among employers (Faragher, 2007). Some characteristics that were measured and compared to respondents within Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, Target and other organizations, three-quarters of employers were questioned and surveyed regarding accommodations, adjustments and cost, in which was found to be valid and reliable in measuring the requests in accommodating a work relationship among disabled individuals. Of course there are also other factors that was essential in this measure, in which 27% of employers felt that production would be disruptive to others and the cost was to