The study does offer several important findings. First,
results indicate that nurses with a broad range of
disabilities are employed in significant numbers in
hospital settings and generally performing well. Seventy
percent of the nurse managers in this study rated general
job performance of nurses with disabilities under their
employ as exceptional or above average. Second, the size
of the hospital and number of nurses employed does not
appear to be related to nurse managers' perceptions of job
performance of employed nurses with disabilities. Third,
previous experience with a nurse with disabilities appears
to contribute to positive attitudes toward hiring,
advancing, and working with nurses with disabilities.
Finally, nurse managers who have past experience with
staff nurses with disabilities who have performed well in
their jobs are likely to hire other nurses with disabilities
into any position, including positions of leadership and
positions of direct patient care in an acute hospital
setting. Such findings affirm the work of others who have
noted that attitudes are significantly influenced by the quality of a personal experience with an individual with
disabilities