Disability, Aging and Older Workers

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Disability, Aging and Older Workers

• Michael Williams, PhD
• Dory Sabata, OTD
• Jesse Zolna, MS
• Workplace Rehabilitation Engineering
• and Research Center (RERC)

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Work RERC

• Supported by grant H133E020720
• from the National Institute on Disability and
  Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)
• U.S. Department of Education

www.workrerc.org
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Age is a Predictor of Disability (McNeil, 2001
US Census)
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Disability and Employment
Source Disability Research Institute Social
Security Administration, 2003 from Survey of
Income and Program Participation
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Workplace Accommodations

• While there are many case studies in the
  literature describing workplace accommodations
  for specific individuals, there are few
  large-scale studies about workplace
  accommodations (Butterfield Ramseur, 2005)
• In addition, there is little information about
  whether the types of accommodations used differ
  with age.

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Workplace Accommodations

• Job Accommodation Network (JAN) data show that
  most employers report financial benefits from
  providing accommodations due to a reduction in
  the cost of training new employees, a reduction
  in the cost of insurance, and an increase in
  worker productivity. (http//www.jan.wvu.edu/
  Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S.
  Department of Labor)

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Why Older Workers? There are a lot, and the
number is increasing

• From 2000-2015, the annual growth rate of persons
  55 in U.S. labor force will be nearly 4 times
  that of the overall labor force (Tossi, 2004)
• By 2015, persons age 65 will number 46.8
  million, as compared to 34.9 million in 2000 (US
  Census, 2005)
• One in five people age 65-74 are working (Tossi,
  2004)
• Overall, 15 of Americans 65 are currently
  working or actively seeking work (Tossi, 2004)
• Increases in retirement age from 65 to 67 will
  obviously add to the number of older workers

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Visual Impairment in the U.S.

• Primarily an age-related problem
• 3.4 million 20/50 or worse (40 yrs or older)
  NEI, 2001
• 1.1 million legally blind 20/200 or worse, lt21º
  NEI, 2001
• Prevalence by age
• 0 - 54 .6 20/50 or worse
• 55 - 84 10.1 20/50 or worse
• 85 21.6 20/50 or worse NEI, 2001

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Employment Vision Impairment

• Historically, people who are VI have found it
  difficult to obtain employment
• According to the AFB, approximately 46 of VI
  adults aged 18 - 69 are employed, along with 32
  of legally blind adults in the same age group
  (AFB, 2005)
• In addition, several recent studies have found
  that persons with vision impairment are more
  likely to be unemployed or under-employed than
  people with any other type of disability
  (Houtenville, 2006)

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Employment Vision Impairment

• Certain barriers to employment are more prevalent
  among those who are blind or have low vision
  (Crudden, Sansing Butler, 2005). They include
• Transportation issues (which may include OM)
• Administrative barriers
• Lack of job readiness skills
• Lack of access to print materials
• Lack of access to, and/or skills with AT

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RERC Survey of User Needs

• Survey of people with disabilities assessing
  their employment experiences
• Determine what accommodations are used by whom,
  with particular interest in older workers
• Identify gaps in provision of accommodations

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Survey of Workplace User Needs

• 510 respondents
• Survey data collected primarily via internet,
  also by telephone interviews, and mail
• Attempt to recruit participants from a wide array
  of disability groups and sources
• National recruitment effort

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Age and Gender
320
123
49
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Education and Income Status
N 484
N 414
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Employment Status

• 22 of sample (N 116) reported being currently
  unemployed, with older respondents most likely to
  report this.
• Among unemployed, 41 were actively seeking
  employment, with older respondents least likely
  to report this.
• Most commonly reported occupations included
• Professional / Technical (64)
• Administrative / Support (44)
• Marketing / Sales (32)

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Reported Limitations by Age
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Difficulty Performing Visual Tasks
Reading a computer monitor Reading paper
documents Perceiving colored lights or
controls Difficulty with contrast Sensing visual
stimuli Seeing objects from far away Seeing
because of improper lighting
Types of Difficulties
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Vision Accommodations by Age
Braille
Typical Accommodations Reading aids, electronic
media, scanner, magnifier, enlarged print,
Braille, CCTV, anti-glare devices, new display,
more light, assistant provided, redesign job
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Difficulty PerformingHearing-related Tasks
Noise intensity (too loud) Hearing because of
pitch Quality of sound Localizing sound
Types of Difficulties
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Hearing Accommodations by Age
Typical Accommodations hearing aid, written
communication, communication device, sign
language, ear protection, redesign job, provide
assistant
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Conclusions Changing Face of Aging in the
Workplace

• Mobility accommodations are by far the largest
  type of accommodations (avg. 4 accommodations per
  individual with difficulty)
• As expected, accommodations often vary by age
• Older adults less likely to get big ticket items
  such as modified workstations and accessible
  transportation (except hearing aids)
• Older adults with VI are least likely to receive
  accommodations
• Receiving no accommodations consistently
  increases with age (except accommodations for
  hearing loss)
• Less job flexibility as age increases (e.g., less
  likely to get flexible schedule, buddy system)

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Conclusions Universal Design Aging in the
Workplace

• The ideal of Universal Design makes sense when we
  consider provision of accommodations in workplace
  for persons with disabling conditions as a more
  global issue of aging into disability, versus the
  more traditional idea of accommodation for
  disability.
• As demonstrated today, American workers in the
  next 20 years will increasingly be older, more
  likely to experience disability that their
  younger counterparts and thus more likely to
  require accommodation in a variety of areas.
• This is a profound change from what we saw in the
  20th century, both in terms of who is disabled
  and who comprises our workforce.

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Work RERC
Thank you
www.workrerc.org