We examined how perceived need for workplace accommodation affects labour-force participation in people with disabilities. We analyzed a Canadian survey with structural equation modelingi to test a model incorporating activity limitations and perceived need for workplace accommodations. The results suggested that the effect of upper- and lower-body activity limitation on labour-force participation was mediated by perceived need for workplace accommodations. Thus, the provision of adequate workplace accommodations could enhance labour-force participation in people with disabilities.
The data was taken from the 1991 Canadian Health and Activity Limitation Survey, a national post census survey of people with disabilities. The analytic population comprised people aged 25-64 years, with a sample size of 18, 384. Physical activity limitations were measured by 12 variables and were represented by 2 latent constructs – lower- and upper-body activity limitations. The “perceived need for workplace accommodation” variable was derived from participants’ answers to 8 workplace accommodation questions regarding the availability of (1) handrails, (2) accessible parking, (3) elevators, (4) accessible workstations, (5) accessible washrooms, (6) transportation, (7) job re-design, and (8) flexible work hours.
See Figure 1 and Table 1 with interpretation below.
Note: Path coefficients in structural equation modeling can be viewed as regression coefficients derived from a set of multiple regression models. Path coefficients assess the magnitude of the relationships among the measured and latent variables in the model. Because all path coefficients have been standardized, they can be compared across variables.
The results for the final structural modeling analyses (Figure 1) suggest that lower- and upper-body activity limitations affected labour-force participation both directly and indirectly through perceived need for workplace accommodation (see Table 1 in next section). However, the perceived need for workplace accommodation mediated most of the effects of lower- and upper-body activity limitations on labour-force participation. With severe activity limitations, a person was more likely to perceive the need for workplace accommodation, which discouraged him or her from being in the labour force.
As expected, older people and women were less likely to be in the labour force, with overall effects of -0.266 and -0.163 respectively. Older people also were slightly less likely to report the need for workplace accommodation (path coefficient = -0.066). Higher education was significantly associated with increased labour force participation. The protective effect of education on labour force participation was partially mediated by occupation – people with higher education were more likely to have professional jobs, which enhanced labour force participation.
| Variables | Direct effect | Indirect effect through perceived need for workplace accommodation | Total effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower body activity limitation | -0.064 | 0.708 * (-0.396) = -0.280 | -0.344 |
| Upper body activity limitation | -0.054 | 0.471 * (-0.396) = -0.187 | -0.241 |
| Perceived need for workplace accommodation | -0.396 | 0 | -0.396 |
The indirect effects of lower- and upper-body activity limitations on labour-force participation (mediated by the perceived need for workplace accommodation) were -0.280 and -0.187 respectively, and were higher than the direct effects (see Table 1 for calculations). Lower-body activity limitation affected labour-force participation more than did upper-body activity limitation, with corresponding total effects of -0.344 and -0.241.
