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State of the Science Conference
September 15-16, 2005
Conference
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Workplace Accommodation Use by Aging Workers
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Slides 16-31
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- Workplace Accommodation Use by Aging Workers
- Work RERC
- Prevalence of Disabilities Among Workers
- Why Older Workers?
- Percent Distribution of Income by Source for Those Aged 65 Years and Older, 1998
- Many Older Workers Plan to Work Past Retirement
- Age is a Predictor of Disability (McNeil, 2001; US Census)
-
Consumer Advisory Network: CAN
- CAN Employment Distribution
- Survey of User Needs
- Survey of User Needs
- Education and Income Status
-
Age and Gender
- Age and Limitation
- Difficulty Performing Visual Tasks
Workplace Accommodation Use by Aging Workers
Michael Williams, Ph.D.
Jon A. Sanford, M.Arch.
Jesse Zolna, M.S.
RERC on Workplace Accommodations
Logos: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR),
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) at the Georgia
Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture
Work RERC
Supported by grant #H133E020720 from the National Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR),
U.S. Department of Education
Prevalence of Disabilities Among Workers
Disability:
Full-time workers - 43%
Part-time workers - 9%
Not working - 49%
No Disability:
Full-time workers - 76%
Part-time workers - 8%
Not working - 16%
Source: Disability Research Institute & Social Security Administration,
2003 from Survey of Income and Program Participation
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 reach 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 likewise increase the number
of older workers
Percent Distribution of Income by Source for Those Aged 65 Years and Older,
1998
Pie Chart:
Social Security - 37.6%
Earnings - 20.7%
Income from Assets - 19.9%
Employer Benefits - 18.7%
Other - 3.1%
Source: Social Security Administration, March 2000
Many Older Workers Plan to Work Past Retirement
Bar Graph:
Plan to Work - 69%
Don’t Plan to Work - 28%
Source: The AARP Work and Career Study by RoperASW, 2002
Speaker Notes:
According to the AARP, many individuals are planning to work beyond
retirement. Almost 70 percent of employees plan on working past retirement,
adding to the number of aging workers in the workplace.
Because workers are remaining employed longer and the likelihood of
having a disability increases with age, there is potential for a large number
of these aging workers to develop a disability and need accommodations to remain
employed.
Age is a Predictor of Disability (McNeil, 2001; US Census)
Disability
Age 45-54 - 22.6%
Age 65-69 - 44.9%
Severe Disability
Age 45-54 - 13.9%
Age 65-69 - 30.7%
Personal Assistant
Age 45-54 - 3.6%
Age 65-69 - 8.1%
Consumer Advisory Network: CAN
Pool of subjects for research (N=1012)
Non-random, self selected sample
Bar graph shows number of subjects in each age and functional limitation group:
| |
18-29 |
30-39
|
40-49
|
50-59
|
60-69
|
70+ |
| Physical |
18 |
39 |
71 |
87 |
35 |
36 |
| Visual |
16 |
31 |
47 |
40 |
14 |
10 |
| Hearing |
14 |
48 |
95 |
117 |
72 |
37 |
| Cognitive |
9 |
8 |
15 |
11 |
4 |
1 |
Speaker Notes:
Upon initial analysis of the sample, we found that 34% of the respondents
were over the age of 55 and almost 44% of them indicated that they were still
working.
This graph shows, in more depth, the age distribution of the respondents.
As you can see there is a large group of baby boomers, representing the aging
of workers with disabilities and, potentially, older adults aging into disability.
Because 394 people are over 50 years old and many of them are still
working, looking at employment issues for the aging worker with a disability
was identified as an area that needed further exploration.
CAN Employment Distribution
Pie Chart:
Professional & Technical - 28%
Admin. Support - 16%
Marketing & Sales - 8%
Service - 7%
Production - 1%
Unemployed - 34%
Unknown - 6%
Speaker Notes:
Professional & Technical = Engineer, computer technician, lawyer,
social worker, teacher, medical professional
Natural Resources, Construction less than 1%
Nationally, the unemployment rate is closer to 70%
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
- Determine gaps in providing accommodations
Survey of User Needs
510 respondents
Survey data was collected via internet, telephone interviews, and mail
Attempt to recruit participants from a wide array of disability groups
and sources
Education and Income Status
Education (N=484)
HS Diploma - 11.8% (N=57)
Some College - 21.7% (N=105)
4yr College - 20.5% (N=99)
Graduate Work - 33.4% (N=162)
Prof./Post Grad - 6.2% (N=30)
Income (N=414)
<$12000 - 18.9% (N=78)
$12000 – $19999 - 21.3% (N=88)
$20000 – $29999 - 19.1% (N=79)
$30000 – $49999 - 17.9% (N=74)
$50000+ - 22.9% (N=95)
Age and Gender
Bar graph shows respondent distribution by age and gender:
Under 55
Male - 113
Female - 204
Total - 317
Age 55-64
Male - 52
Female - 68
Total - 120
65 or Older
Male - 20
Female - 27
Total - 47
Age and Limitation
Bar graph shows respondent distribution by age and functional limitation:
Mental
Under 55 - 28.8%
Age 55-64 - 23.6%
65 or Older - 22.4%
Sensory
Under 55 - 46.6%
Age 55-64 - 53.7%
65 or Older - 65.3%
Communication
Under 55 - 52.5%
Age 55-64 - 44.7%
65 or Older - 49.0%
Motor
Under 55 - 90.9%
Age 55-64 - 90.2%
65 or Older - 83.7%
Difficulty Performing Visual Tasks
Percent respondents within age group that have this functional limitation:
Age 18-54 - 28% (N=92)
Age 55-64 - 32% (N=39)
65 or Older - 18% (N=9)
All Ages - 29% (N=141)
Types of Difficulties:
Reading a computer monitor
Reading paper documents
Perceiving colored lights or controls
With high contrast
Sensing visual stimuli
Seeing objects from far away
Seeing because of improper lighting
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