Facilitating workplace personal assistance services (PAS): The role of employment service providers

For many working-age people with a disability, an important aspect of living a healthy, independent life is being able to work. Research suggests that lack of accommodations represents a major barrier to equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Employment service providers, including vocational rehabilitation counselors, job developers and others, are in a unique position to assist in the hiring and retention of people with disabilities by facilitating workplace personal assistance services (PAS) as one of many work accommodation options. PAS needed at work may include personal care-related assistance such as help with eating, drinking, or using the restroom at work, and do include task-related assistance at work, such as readers, interpreters, help with lifting, and re-assignment of non-essential duties. This session will report on in-depth telephone interviews conducted with employment service providers that work with large, medium, and small employers, in a broad range of industries. We will present recommendations that can maximize the use of workplace personal assistance services. Recommendations include services related to both job seekers with disabilities and employers who are seeking or who have hired people with disabilities.