Predictors of Attitudes Toward Disability and Employment Policy Issues among Undergraduate Students at the University of Nairobi

Abstract

Disability rights issues are an emerging area of discourse in Kenya. Persons with disabilities in Kenya face many barriers to integration into the larger Kenyan society possibly due to barriers such as societal negative attitudes. Research has indicated that the greatest barrier to rehabilitation of persons with disabilities is negative attitudes prevalent in society. Owing to their composition and enrolment, current University of Nairobi students are or will be engaged in daily decision making as leaders in the Kenyan society, some of which may directly affect the lives of persons with disabilities. It is therefore imperative to study their attitudes toward disability, especially at a time when the Kenya Persons with Disabilities Act of 2003 is being implemented. The main purpose of this study was to examine the general attitudes toward disability and attitudes toward organizational policies among University of Nairobi undergraduate students. Participants were a convenience sample of students enrolled in Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, Political Science, and Public Administration majors. Quantitative data analyses were used to study attitudes. The Attitudes Towards persons with Disability (ATPD) Form<&ndash>O (Yuker, Block <&>Campbell, 1960) was used to study general attitudes. The Attitudes Towards Employing Persons with Disabilities (ATEPD) measure (Loo, 2002) was used to study attitudes toward organizational policies and procedures for employees with disabilities. Results suggest that Kenyan students possess less positive attitudes toward disability than the normed populations. Seven independent variables (i.e., age, marital status, educational focus, type of enrollment, socio-economic status, place where one grew up, and area of current residence) were positively related to the dependent variables (i.e., general attitudes toward disability as well as several items regarding attitudes toward organizational policies and procedures for employees with disabilities). Other six independent variables (i.e., gender, level of enrollment, employment affiliation, perceived knowledge of disability, previous contact with disability, and self-knowledge of disability law) were not related to the dependent variables. Multiple regression analysis results indicated that only age was a predictor of attitudes toward disability among the Kenyan students. Implications for education, policy and future research are provided. The study contributes to mixed findings regarding attitudes toward disability.