| This descriptive study used survey data to examine the relationship between the attitudes of volunteer services coordinators regarding people with disabilities as measured on a social distance scale, and self-reported coordinators' willingness to use individuals with disabilities as volunteers. Decision-makers were asked to rate the level of closeness they were willing to share with a person with one of sixteen disabilities, as well as their willingness to use a person with the specified disability for person-to-person or person-to-object volunteer work. Also, the use of a person with the disability for either person-to-person or person-to-object work was compared. The study showed a correlation between the decision-makers' responses on the modified social distance scale and their willingness to use a volunteer with a disability for two specific disabilities: quadriplegia and mental illness. The study found a relationship between person-to-person and person-to-object work for three disabilities: aphasia, deafness, and mental retardation. |
