The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44944

Dawn Carlson, PhD, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, 330 C Street SW, Suite 3421, Washington, DC 20202, 202-401-2068, dawn.carlson@ed.gov

Education and assistive device use combined with workplace modifications and job accommodations are thought to play a major role in enabling persons with disabilities who report to be limited in the amount or kind of work they can do to find and maintain employment and pursue meaningful and rewarding careers. Using different sources of data, this paper will show that in this group of people, education is by far the most powerful predictor of being employed and or having an income comparable to persons without work limitations. Using assistive technology and working in an adequately modified workplace appears to have an equalizing effect on employment and incomes of persons with disabilities. Certain types of occupations – mostly white collar jobs – and certain sectors of the economy (government and the self-employed) are more likely to have workplace modifications and job accommodations, and thus provide better opportunities for persons with disabilities who need assistive technology to do the job. Similar to the world of work of persons who do not report disabilities, women with disabilities are only 60 percent as likely to have incomes comparable to that of disabled men. Persons with disabilities from minority backgrounds are also more likely to be unemployed, or when employed, to report lower incomes. Although these findings confirm the dismal aspects of working with a disability, they also show that assistive technology and education play a pivotal role in successfully integrating persons with disabilities into the world of work.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the role assistive technology plays in the employment of persons with severe disabilities;
• Learn about the effects of education and other socio-demographic variables on employment of persons with severe disabilities; and
• Learn about policy implications for alleviating unemployment of persons with severe disabilities.

Keywords: Disability Policy, Education

Related Web page: No web page available at this time

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: No products or services will be discussed
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.