Work disability.

Abstract

W ork is an important milestone and protective factor in adulthood, including for individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions. The benefits of employment extend beyond financial security and income; work also contributes to an individual's independence, community participation, sense of purpose and accomplishment, well-being, and quality of life. Thus, absence of work or the loss of the ability to work can affect one's identity, self-esteem, self-worth, social connections, and purpose.Individuals with disabilities face multiple challenges and barriers in finding and maintaining employment. The impact of disability on work experience depends on a myriad of factors beyond the disability or health condition, such as the nature of the job (e.g., tasks, roles, hours, demands), the work environment and culture (e.g., company's disability policy and compliance, physical accessibility, coworker/supervisor attitudes, structural ableism), available resources (e.g., social support, transportation, assistive technology, symptom/health management, on-the-job supports), and barriers to work (e.g., depression, internalized ableism, medication side effects, job dissatisfaction, legal issues).According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately one in four Americans, about 61.4 million American adults, are currently living with a disability (Okoro et al., 2018). Individuals with disabilities are a large and growing minority group in the United States, second only to combined ethnic groups (Taylor, 2018). According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020), 30.9% of individuals with a disability age 16 to 64 are employed compared with 74.6% of people Copyright American Psychological Association. Not for further distribution.