Employment Barriers
Respondents were asked to rate a series of employment barriers with respect to their own situations. Four response ratings were offered. The major barrier to employment identified by respondents was related to their health or disability. Almost 80% of the respondents strongly agreed that their employment was limited by this factor. The second most frequently rated barrier (52%) was the inability to earn enough money. Table 25 displays specific responses in rank order of frequency.
Table 25: Employment Barrier Ratings
|
|
Strongly
|
Somewhat
|
Somewhat Disagreen(%) |
Strongly Disagreen(%) |
Total
|
|
I am limited in my ability to work because of my disability or health problems. |
169 (79%) |
33 (15%) |
3 (1%) |
9 (4%) |
214 (100%) |
|
If I work for pay, it will be hard to earn enough money to make up for lost Social Security benefits. |
100 (52%) |
48 (25%) |
16 (8%) |
30 (16%) |
194 (100%) |
|
Working for pay will affect my ability to keep my Social Security benefits or Adult Public Assistance. |
101 (49%) |
58 (28%) |
22 (11%) |
25 (12%) |
206 (100%) |
|
It will be difficult to re-qualify for Social Security benefits or Adult Public Assistance in the future if I work. |
96 (49%) |
48 (24%) |
19 (10%) |
34 (17%) |
197 (100%) |
|
I don’t have adequate skills or training to return to work. |
94 (46%) |
53 (26%) |
26 (13%) |
33 (16%) |
206 (100%) |
|
I will not be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid if I return to work. |
81 (42%) |
44 (23%) |
32 (16%) |
38 (20%) |
195 (100%) |
|
Unless a job offers prescription coverage, I can’t afford to take it. |
80 (40%) |
55 (28%) |
34 (17%) |
29 (15%) |
198 (100%) |
|
It is difficult to get the vocational rehabilitation services I need. |
73 (37%) |
57 (29%) |
36 (18%) |
33 (17%) |
199 (100%) |
|
I can’t get health insurance at a job because of my disability. |
71 (36%) |
57 (29%) |
30 (15%) |
39 (20%) |
197 (100%) |
|
Unless a job offers mental health coverage, I can’t afford to take it. |
56 (28%) |
43 (22%) |
38 (19%) |
61 (31%) |
198 (100%) |
