Employee and employer characteristics associated with elevated risk of filing disability harassment charges

The purpose of this study was to examine how individuals who file charges of harassment differ from individuals who file other types of disability discrimination charges (e.g., hiring, firing, or reasonable accommodation) as well as the unique characteristics of respondents (employers) to these charges. 211,736 allegations (25,411 allegations of harassment vs. 186,325 other types of allegations) were extracted from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Integrated Mission System database. Results from the chi-squared automatic interaction detector analysis indicated that women, minorities, and people with behavioral disabilities are more likely to file harassment charges. Employees with disabilities who work in Educational Services or in Public Administration were found to be more likely to file harassment charges than employees who work for other types of business and industry, and companies with 500 or more employees were more likely to have harassment lawsuits. Implications for vocational rehabilitation and demand-side employment research were discussed.