Healthy People 2010 establishes the national goal of eliminating participation disparities in employment between people with disabilities and the general population. Indeed, only about 52% of people with disabilities report being employed, while 82% of the general population report having a job (DHHS, 2001). While there are many factors that affect the employment rate of people with disabilities, health status appears to be one of them. In a longitudinal study of 264 consumers of VR services in ten states preliminary data show higher ratings of secondary conditions at baseline were associated with lower employment outcomes at the 6-month follow-up measure (F = 8.448, p = .00). Further, results from a logistic regression (n=164) show that reported secondary conditions at baseline predict employment outcomes at 6-months (p=.021), after controlling for demographic characteristics, severity of disability, life satisfaction, and health promoting lifestyle behaviors. Efforts to increase the employment and economic independence of people with disabilities should analyze the impact of secondary health conditions on employment. Although health promotion activities prevent or ameliorate many secondary conditions (Lorig, et al., 1999; Ravesloot, Seekins, & Walsh, 1997; Ravesloot, Seekins, & White, 2005), VR agencies currently cover only acute care services (Rehabilitation Services Administration, 2001). Treating acute episodes is costly to VR (Hoffman, Rice, & Sung, 1996). Integrating interventions designed to help consumers prevent and manage secondary conditions may reduce the need for medical services and improve employment outcome. Accordingly, the GOAL of this project is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a new health promotion intervention, Working Well with a Disability, on increasing health status, health promoting activities, and successful employment outcomes of people with disabilities served by the national network of Vocation Rehabilitation programs. ? ? ?
| Ipsen, Catherine; Ravesloot, Craig; Arnold, Nancy et al. (2012) Working well with a disability: health promotion as a means to employment. Rehabil Psychol 57:187-95 |
