title: Assessing cognitive and affective reactions of employers toward people with disabilities in the workplace.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of this study was to assess the construct validity of the Affective Reactions subscale of the Disability Questionnaire by analyzing its underlying factor structure. The Affective Reactions subscale consists of 21 items measuring emotional reactions related to working with people with disabilities and contributes to the overall measurement of employers' attitudes toward individuals with disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 142 employers in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the Affective Reactions scale and multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between affective reaction factors and ADA knowledge, perceived reasonableness of workplace accommodations, and experience working with people with disabilities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exploratory factor analysis revealed three underlying attitude dimensions: (a) Negative Cognitive and Affective Reactions, (b) Positive Attitudes toward Accommodations, and (c) Positive Attitudes towards Equal Treatment of People with Disabilities in the Workplace. Multiple regression analysis results indicated that positive attitudes toward people with disabilities in the workplace are associated with positive beliefs about the reasonableness of accommodating people with disabilities in the workplace and positive attitudes are related to higher level of experience working with people with disabilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The construct validity of the Affective Reactions subscale of the Disability Questionnaire is supported by the identification of three underlying attitudinal constructs.
authors.affiliation: Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC), Rocky Mountain ADA Center, Colorado Springs, CO 80907, USA.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.forename: Fong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bezyak
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D001290:Attitude; D003071:Cognition; D003120:Colorado; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D011287:Prejudice; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace