Characteristics of employers of handicapped individuals

We surveyed 1,000 randomly selected employers of handicapped individuals in the state of Washington. Overall, 64 of the 671 responding companies reported employing 166 handicapped people. The proportion of urban and rural employers hiring handicapped people did not differ significantly, but proportionally more large employers had handicapped employees. In terms of numbers of handicapped people employed, 66 worked for large companies, 39 worked for medium companies and 61 worked for small companies. Proportionally more public administration, transportation, and service industries hired handicapped people than other industries. Proportionally speaking, service and sales industries in urban settings were the most likely to have handicapped employees and hire the largest absolute number of handicapped individuals.