Affiliations: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on
Personal Assistance Services (PASCenter), University of California San
Francisco, CA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Susan Stoddard, InfoUse, 2560 9{th}
Street, Suite 320, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA. Tel.: +1 510 549 6520; Fax: +1 510
549 6512; E-mail: sustoddard@aol.com
Abstract: This paper describes current US trends and practices regarding
workplace personal assistance services (PAS) as part of available work
accommodation options. Workplace PAS include task-related assistance at work,
such as readers, interpreters, help with lifting or reaching, re-assignment of
non-essential duties to co-workers, and other help related to performing work
tasks; and personal care-related assistance such as helping someone with using
the rest room, eating, or drinking while at work. The results reported here are
based on forty-one telephone interviews conducted in 2004, which included 20
workplace PAS users and 21 US employers familiar with workplace accommodations.
Employers and consumers described a range of workplace personal assistance
currently used. Barriers to expansion of workplace PAS include negative
co-worker or supervisor attitude, cost to employers and workers, waiting time
for accommodations, employee attitude and knowledge, and confusing terminology.
Development of organizational culture that encourages employment of people with
disabilities and developing employer-employee partnerships in arranging for
accommodations can contribute to workplace PAS solutions. The survey findings
contribute to better understanding of current practices related to workplace
PAS.
Keywords: Personal assistance services, disability employment, accommodation, disability
