1. DJ Hendricks, Ed.D. Job Accommodation Network
An Analysis of Accommodation Information Requests Regarding Personal Assistance Services Made to the Job Accommodation Network
DJ Hendricks, Ed.D.
Job Accommodation Network

2. Job Accommodation Network
The nation’s premier source for information on job accommodations.

3. Job Accommodation Network
A service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
since 1983

4. Job Accommodation Network
JAN responds to approximately 32,000 inquiries annually from
Employers,
Job seekers and employees with disabilities, and
Service providers, and
Others.

5. Job Accommodation Network
Callers receive
Individualized accommodation information
Information about the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related employment legislation.
Information on thousands of disability service organizations, facilities, and agencies.
1st bullet--for use in the workplace, job training environment, or classroom setting.
I realize there may be some members of the audience who are not familiar with JAN and its services. For that reason, I have provided each of you with a brochure about who we are and what we do.

6. PAS Inquiries
During the past year, 228 (< 1%) of these inquiries were related to PAS. This includes:
Interpreters
Readers
Scribes
Personal attendants
Work task-related aides

7. Job Accommodation Network Follow-up Study
Funded by U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Data collection and analyses by Law, Health Policy, & Disability Center, University of Iowa
As part of its activities for the Office of Disability Employment, JAN conducted a follow-up study of employers who had contacted us. The Law, Health Policy, and Disability Center at the University of Iowa performed the actual data collection and analyses. Thanks are due to Dr. Peter Blanck, James Schmeling, and Helen Schartz.

8. PAS Analyses Conducted in collaboration with
Center for Personal Assistance Services, University of California at San Francisco
And InfoUse, Berkeley, CA

9. Study Protocol
Consent obtained at time of initial contact and again prior to interview
Interviewed 6-8 weeks following initial contact.
Questions related to
Employer demographics
Employee demographics
Types of accommodations considered/implemented
Costs and benefits associated with accommodations
Overall consumer satisfaction with JAN services
Information contained in this presentation was obtained from the employer either at the time of the initial contact or through the follow-up. The follow-up calls were placed to the employer approximately 6 to 8 weeks after they had contacted JAN. This was to allow the company some time to reach a decision and possibly implement an accommodation.

10. JAN Follow-up Study 1,182 employers surveyed.
Data collection began in January of 2004 and continued through December of In that time, 1,182 employers were surveyed.

11. JAN Follow-up Study
PAS was reported as having been considered by 73 (6.2%) of the employers interviewed.
Of the 1,182 employers who were surveyed, 72 (or 6.1%) said they had seriously considered the use of some form of PAS.

12. Work Status of the Individual
Employers who considered using PAS were much more likely to be calling about an individual in the job application stage, as compared to employers who had considered other types of accommodations. In the non-PAS employers, only 7.5% were calling about an applicant, as compared with 26.6% in the PAS cases. These frequencies were significantly different.

13. Type of Disability Involved

14. Level of Education
There was a significant difference in the educational levels of the individual being accommodated. There were more individuals in the PAS cases at both educational extremes. That is, there were more individuals in the PAS cases who either did not have a HS diploma or who had at least some college, as compared to the individuals in the non-PAS cases.

15. Degree of Limitation Without Accommodation
Employers in the PAS cases rated the degree of work limitation to be significantly greater than did the employers in the non-PAS cases.

16. Degree of Limitation With Accommodation
Even following the implementation of the accommodation, employers in the PAS cases continued to rate the individual as having a significantly greater degree of work limitation.

17. Status of the Accommodation at Time of Follow-up
Type of Accommodation
Implemented or in Process
Decision Pending
Rejected
PAS (N = 67)
58.2%
28.4%
13.4%
Purchase of a Product or Piece of Equipment (N = 308)
52.6%
25.2%
18.8%
Changes to Work Schedule (N = 230)
70.9%
11.7%
17.4%
PAS accommodations were implemented by these employers at about the same rate as other types of accommodations. Here, I’ve compared PAS to (1) use of a product or piece of equipment and (2) changes to the work schedule. Almost 60% of the employers in the PAS cases already had implemented the accommodation or were in the process of doing so. Over 28% more were still in the decision-making process.

18. Accommodation Effectiveness
How effective was the accommodation?

19. Cost of the Accommodation
Non-Pas cases, median cost = $500
PAS cases, median cost = $1,350
Possible Reasons:
Far fewer PAS-related cases on which to make comparison
Many non-PAS accommodations cost nothing to the employer
Last bullet—e.g., changing the work schedule, moving the individual to another location.

20. Comments & Limitations
Not a random sample
Employers already have made some commitment
Other employers may be using local PAS resources

21. Future JAN contract has been re-awarded for 2007-2012.
Additional follow-up data will be collected.
Potential for PAS-specific research to be conducted.
ODEP currently is engaged in a broad range of PAS-related activities that will result in future policy development.

22. Resources Office of Disability Employment Policy
Job Accommodation Network
Center for PAS