BACKGROUND: People with disabilities experience longstanding barriers to employment. However, beyond the conventional metrics of labor force participation or unemployment rates we know very little about the workplace experiences of people with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: This study describes findings from the 2015 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey (2015 KFNEDS), a nationally representative survey of Americans with disabilities. METHODS: A dual-frame, random digit dial, nationally representative survey was conducted. Survey respondents included 3013 working age adults with a disability. Survey respondents were asked about disability, employment status, job search activities and workplace experiences. RESULTS: Over 42% of survey respondents were currently working. 68.4% were striving to work characterized by job preparation, job search and/or participation in the workforce since the onset of their disability. Although some barriers persisted in the workplace, many were able to overcome the same. Overall, 47.8% of the respondents used workplace accommodations, 45.3% were satisfied with their jobs, 86.6% felt accepted in their workplace. CONCLUSION: The 2015 KFNEDS highlights how people with disabilities strive to work and overcome barriers, a discourse largely overlooked in contemporary disability and employment research. Survey findings can inform new programs and policies to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

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Assisting individuals with disabilities to become socially included in the workplace is an important rehabilitation goal. This article reports the results of a descriptive study of the workplace cultures where individuals with disabilities are employed, the inclusion of employees within those cultures, the strategies used by employment specialists to promote inclusion, and the barriers encountered in the process. Fifty-three employment specialists who had successfully completed online training on analyzing workplace cultures and planning support strategies selected an individual they provided support to and completed an assessment instrument during the course of their visits to and contacts with the workplace. The distribution of workplace culture strength was bimodal, comprising a larger group with weaker cultures and a smaller group with stronger cultures. Individuals with disabilities were included in a mean of 83% of their workplace cultures. Employment specialists reported about twice as many barriers as strategies, indicating that they viewed most inclusion difficulties as beyond their role and function. The implications of these findings for job placement and support services are discussed.

Caregivers of older adults provide a wide range of informal supports and services that enable older adults to continue living in the community. This study describes the use of a multicomponent intervention combined with a person-centered approach to assist caregivers of older adults in the community. Four hundred and eighteen caregiver and care recipient dyads participated in this study and their outcomes related to burden, depression, well-being, and care recipient functional status were evaluated. The findings suggest that adult child and spousal caregivers experience burden differently. Programs designed to support caregivers must tailor services to the unique needs of adult child and spousal caregivers.

The authors sought to give voice to women victims of sexual assault whose stories otherwise remain muted. The study reported here provided rare insights into victims who sought emergency services at a hospital following a sexual assault. The data (N = 745) were collected by sexual assault nurse examiners in one northeastern state between 1997 and 2007.