Changing the Way Employees Interact With Guests With Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a disability awareness workshop and its effect on theme park employees. Two research questions were posed: Would employees who attended a disability awareness workshop demonstrate a greater knowledge base in disability issues and legislation? Would they alter their attitudes toward persons with disabilities? The 40 employees participating in this study were given the Facts About Disabilities Scale (FAD) and the Interaction With Disabled Persons Scale (IDP) as a pretest. Employees in the treatment group attended a 1-day disability awareness workshop. Following the workshop, all employees were given the FAD and the IDP as a posttest. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance revealed statistically significant differences in the knowledge levels of employees and more positive attitudes toward guests with disabilities as a result of attending the disability awareness workshop. Conclusions and recommendations for further research are provided.