Don't Ask and You Shall Not Receive: Why Future American Workers with Disabilities are Reluctant to Demand Legally Required Accommodations
H. Kristl Davison
Brian J. O'Leary
Jennifer A. Schlosberg
Mark N. Bing
DOI: 10.2190/WR.14.1.d
Abstract
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted nearly two decades ago, it has not provided many of the expected benefits to disabled individuals, and it appears that reluctance to request accommodations is part of the problem (Baldridge & Veiga, 2001). Baldridge and Veiga (2001) provided a framework for examining the reasons why individuals with disabilities might fail to request needed accommodations. The current study tested a model based on this framework, examining the factors that affect whether individuals with disabilities request needed accommodations. The results indicate that personal assessments (i.e., concerns about requesting accommodations) mediate the relationship between perceptions of university culture and the likelihood of requesting future accommodations. Importantly, past accommodation request was the strongest predictor of future accommodation request likelihood and also predicted perceptions of university culture, indicating that past experiences in requesting accommodations directly and indirectly shape individuals' likelihood of requesting accommodations in the future. Additionally, certain personality traits (e.g., emotional stability, agreeableness) as well as knowledge of the ADA may indirectly influence accommodation request likelihood. Strategies for increasing the likelihood of requests for accommodations, including approaches to use when requesting accommodations from employers, are provided.
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