Barriers to and Supports for Work among Adults with Disabilities: Results from the NHIS-D

BARRIERS TO AND SUPPORTS FOR WORKAMONG ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES:RESULTS FROM THE NHIS-DPamela LoprestElaine MaagJanuary 2001The Urban Institute2100 M Street, NWWashington, DCThis research was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office ofthe Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, contract number HHS-100-97-0010,order no. 8. The authors would like to thank participants at presentations of earlyversions of these results at ASPE and the NHIS-D conference for helpful comments. Theviews expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the UrbanInstitute or its sponsors. Abstract:This paper examines barriers to work among adults with disabilities in two specific areas— searching for jobs and workplace accommodations — using data from the 1994/95National Health Interview Survey Disability Supplement. Focusing on the subgroup witha high likelihood of future work, we find that a majority report difficulties searching forwork, particularly in gaining information about appropriate jobs and having transportationto search. About a third of non-workers report needing workplace accommodations inorder to work. The specific types of accommodations needed are similar to those beingused by current workers with disabilities. We also find that need for accommodation,even after controlling for severity of disability, reduces the probability of work. iiBARRIERS TO AND SUPPORTS FOR WORK AMONG ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES: RESULTS FROM THE NHIS-DEXECUTIVE SUMMARYEmployment rates for adults with disabilities are significantly lower than foradults without disabilities. This leads many to ask how government policies andprograms can better support work for the 11.3 million working-age adults withdisabilities. This study investigates what policies might successfully increase work foradults with disabilities by comparing the situation of those 37 percent of adults withdisabilities who are working to those who are not.To investigate this question we focus on three main areas for potential policyintervention:• Job search difficulties;• Need for specific work accommodations; and• Access to and use of transportation systems.The importance of these three areas is clear. Reducing impediments to finding a job is anecessary first step to increase employment. We explore the reasons adults withdisabilities have difficulty finding work. The need for work accommodations, animportant aspect of ADA, is also critical. We examine the extent to which non-workersreport needs for specific accommodations by type, and how that differs from workerswith disabilities. In addition to accommodations on-the-job, other services may makework possible. Transportation to work is especially critical and we address it separatelyhere, examining the role of special and public transit systems for people with disabilities.To examine these factors, we use information from the 1994 and 1995 NationalHealth Interview Survey – Disability Supplement (NHIS-D), a nationally representativesurvey of persons with disabilities that asks questions about their disability, work, andservice needs. We define disability among adults ages 18 to 65 using their self-reports ofspecific activity limitations supplemented by reports of serious difficulty seeing orhearing, or mobility limitations. By this definition, there are 11.3 million working-ageadults with disabilities, 37 percent of whom are working in 1994/1995.We separate those adults with disabilities who are not working into two categoriesrelative to their likelihood for working: “high likelihood” to work which includes thosefor whom accommodations will enable work or who report their disabilities are not worklimiting, and “low likelihood” to work, which includes those who report they are retiredfrom working or cannot work even with accommodations. Almost a quarter of adultswith disabilities who are not working fall under the former classification. This group stillhas, on average, more activity limitations than the group of working adults withdisabilities, but far fewer than those in the low likelihood to work group. On the otherhand, 17 percent of adults with disabilities who are working have severe activity iiilimitations. We limit our analysis to workers and non-workers with high likelihood towork. All our references to non-workers in this summary are limited to non-workers inthe high likelihood to work category.Our key findings in the three focal areas are as follows.Looking for WorkDifficulties in looking for work are widespread, encountered by more than halfof non-working adults with disabilities. The most frequently cited reason for beingdiscouraged from looking for work is the lack of appropriate jobs being available cited by53 percent of those with difficulty looking. Lack of transportation (29 percent) andlacking information about jobs (23 percent) are also frequently cited difficulties. Adultswith disabilities who have the most difficulty looking for jobs are those who hav