This research represents a beginning effort to examine
attitudes and experiences of nurse leaders regarding
practicing nurses with disabilities. There is abundant
clinical evidence that this issue will continue to grow in
importance to nursing practice and education. Such
evidence includes the growing interest in disability law
and implications for nursing education (Helms et al.,
2006); the increasing public interest and need for
increased enrollments in nursing programs, including
students with a variety of disabilities (Ijiri & Kudsma,
2000); the growing number of people in the general
population with disabilities; growing advocacy for people
with disabilities to enter all areas of education and
employment, including nursing (Carroll, 2004); and
improved technology to facilitate accommodation of
disabled persons in the workplace. Although there has
been considerable study of student nurses with disabilities,
there has been little or no systematic attention to the
issue of professional nurses working with a disability in
clinical practice following graduation. Further, there has
been little known from the perspective of the nurse
manager who supervises such nurses in direct patient.
Results of this study offer some insights into these areas.