Employee Bias Associated with Cleft Lip/Palate

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Abstract
Persons with repaired congenital cleft lips and palates retain the distinguishing visible feature of a facial scar and may exhibit a speech difference of hypernasality. Rehabilitation of these individuals is long and costly between birth and eighteen years of age. However, the literature does not reflect programs which prepare these clients to succeed in employment interviews and in job acquisition. Neither is there evidence of efforts to inform employers of the potentials of persons who exhibit this handicap in facial appearance and in speech.This research was designed to investigate employer bias in judging an employee with a cleft lip and palate with and without a speech disorder. Twenty-six business and professional men rated observable characteristics of a videotaped adult male speaker in the two conditions. Results indicate that employers respond negatively to both the cleft lip and to the disorder. When the two elements were combined, the judgments were more negative. Judges suggested nonpublic occupations for which the speaker could be successfully employed.

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