Kenyan Students’ Perceptions Toward Vocational Participation for Individuals With Disabilities

Persons with disabilities in Kenya, like elsewhere in the world, struggle to find a decent job. Disability advocacy in Kenya is still at its infancy. Although the government of Kenya enacted the Persons with Disabilities Act (PDA) in 2003, individuals with disabilities are still struggling to compete for available jobs owing to prevailing negative attitudes toward them. This study examined attitudes toward employment of individuals with disability in a Kenyan higher education setting. Participants were a sample of 298 undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi (females = 186, male= 113, age range = 19 to 45). Data on attitudes toward employment were collected using the Attitudes Toward Organizational Policies and Procedures for Employees with Disabilities Scale of the ATEPD measure (Loo, 2002). Results indicate that Kenyan undergraduate students had positive attitudes toward employing individuals with disabilities. Implications for policy and research are discussed.