Public Sector Managers' Perceived Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities

Abstract

This main aim of this study was to measure public sector managers' perceived attitudes towards people with disabilities. This study was motivated by the challenges faced by employees with disabilities gaining employment in the South African Public Service. The research problem investigated was did public sectors managers have negative attitudes towards people with disabilities. This study has made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge by providing a theoretical-conceptual framework and a validated measuring instrument to measure public sector managers' attitudes towards people with disabilities. The study was conducted within the quantitative research paradigm using a cross-­sectional survey design. The population included 1 071 public sector managers from the National Government and Provincial Government Departments. A convenience sampling method was used. The measuring instrument was a combination of three different questionnaires that measure perceived attitudes towards PWDs. The questionnaire consisted of seven factors that measure the construct perceived attitudes towards PWDs. An electronic questionnaire was distributed via Survey Monkey. One hundred and fifty-five questionnaires were returned, of which only 145 was completed and usable for data analysis. Descriptive, Cohen's d and Pearson product-moment correlation statistical techniques were used to arrive at the findings. The findings provided adequate answers to the research questions. The main findings of the study were the non-compliance by managers to implement policies (external and internal) and legislation regarding the employment of PWDs in the public service. Regarding attitudes, the main problems identified were the inability of PWDS to adapt to new ways of doing their jobs, that different training methods should be used to cater to the needs of different disability types. Respondents also disagreed that PWDs had special characteristics, such as dependability, lower absenteeism rates, cooperate better or are more loyal, compared to people without disabilities. Therefore, managers have to ensure that they recruit and employ PWDs that meet the behavioural characteristics required by the job. Regarding productivity perceptions, participants had indicated that PWDs could not work on hazardous jobs. Managers should ensure that PWDs meet the physical and mental requirements of the job. The main limitation of this study was that a convenience sampling method was used and because of the small number of 145 completed questionnaires, the results cannot be generalised to the whole Public Service.