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Employer Receptivity to Hiring a Mentally Retarded Person

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

A. T. Haines  and
K. Davidson
A. T. Haines
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
K. Davidson
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
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Abstract

The study analysed employer receptivity to hiring mentally retarded persons. A stratified random sample of 100 employers in the Hobart area were sent a two part questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire was designed to replicate Mahoney’s (1976b) Melbourne study of employers’ attitudes to the mentally retarded. A comparison of the Hobart and Melbourne data indicated that in both samples the variables of age, educational level, size of organization and the number of mentally retarded persons previously employed were all related to positive employer attitudes. The second part of the questionnaire was concerned with Hobart employers’ attitudes towards a Job Try-Out program. The major finding revealed that employers’ willingness to cooperate in this type of program was strongly related to their willingness to hire successful candidates from such programs on a permanent basis. The implications of these findings were discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , November 1982 , pp. 11 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 1982

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References

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