Managers' Attitudes Towards Employees with Disabilities in the Hospitality Industry

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2014-01-01
Authors
Paez, Paola
Arendt, Susan
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Arendt, Susan
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Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management

The Department of Apparel, Education Studies, and Hospitality Management provides an interdisciplinary look into areas of aesthetics, leadership, event planning, entrepreneurship, and multi-channel retailing. It consists of four majors: Apparel, Merchandising, and Design; Event Management; Family and Consumer Education and Studies; and Hospitality Management.

History
The Department of Apparel, Education Studies, and Hospitality Management was founded in 2001 from the merging of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies; the Department of Textiles and Clothing, and the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.

Dates of Existence
2001 - present

Related Units

  • College of Human Sciences (parent college)
  • Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies (predecessor)
  • Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management (predecessor)
  • Department of Textiles and Clothing (predecessor)
  • Trend Magazine (student organization)

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Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management
Abstract

People with disabilities face many challenges when integrating into the workforce, overcoming co-workers and employers’ negative attitudes and perceptions is one such challenge. This study aimed to assess U.S. hotel and restaurant managers’ attitudes towards employees with disabilities. Paper questionnaires were mailed to 836 hotel and restaurant managers in a Midwestern state of the United States, 124 were returned for a response rate of 15%. Managers’ attitudes about teamwork, costs, training, characteristics, and skills were analyzed. No significant differences were noted in attitudes based on manager’s age, gender, or experience with disabled employees. Additional training and education is needed to help increase current and future hotel and restaurant managers’ knowledge to promote success in working with people with disabilities. This study found hotel and restaurant managers had positive attitudes toward training and working with people with disabilities therefore, the hospitality industry should be considered an industry with viable employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

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This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration in 2014, available online: http:// www.tandf.com/10.1080/15256480.2014.901065.

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Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2014
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