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What are Personal Assistance
Services?
Personal Assistance Services (PAS) can be defined as people or
devices that assist a person with a physical, sensory, mental, or cognitive
disability with tasks that the person would perform for himself or herself if
he or she did not have a disability. In general, these may include assistance
with dressing, bathing, eating, toileting, and cognitive tasks such as handling
money or facilitating communications access with a reader or an interpreter.
What are Personal Assistance Services in
the Workplace?
In the workplace, PAS is provided as a reasonable accommodation to
enable an employee to perform the functions of a job. The employer's
responsibility for providing reasonable accommodations begins when the employee
reaches the job site and concludes when the work day ends. PAS in the workplace
does not include skilled medical care.
Work-related PAS might include filing, retrieving work materials
that are out of reach, or providing travel assistance for an employee with a
mobility impairment; helping an employee with a cognitive disability with
planning or decision making; reading handwritten mail to an employee with a
visual impairment; or ensuring that a sign language interpreter is present
during staff meetings to accommodate an employee with a hearing impairment.
Each person with a disability has different needs and may require a unique
combination of PAS.
What Personal Assistance Services has been
Provided in the Workplace?
The following examples of PAS were drawn from the database of the
Office of Disability Employment Policy's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) and represent actual
workplace accommodations that employers have provided for their employees with
disabilities. These represent only a sampling of the many forms that PAS can
take in the workplace:
A state agency maintenance mechanic with Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, had difficulties climbing stairs
and carrying materials. The job was restructured so that this individual always
worked in a team with another mechanic. The co-worker was easily able to carry
the equipment and do the required lifting on the job while this worker
performed other necessary tasks. Because the facility had no elevator, the
worker was assigned only to jobs on the first floor.
An engineering assistant who is paraplegic could not open the
entry or exit doors because of the type of security system at the communication
company where he worked. The system included a security guard on duty at the
door. The guard opened the door for the employee.
A college professor with physical limitations resulting from a
stroke was assigned a student worker to assist with transport of materials to
and from classes. The cost was minimal as the worker was already assigned to
the department and performed other duties, as well. This task took
approximately five hours per week of the student worker's time.
An office employee who is paraplegic working for a food
manufacturer was provided an escort to his car to assist him in going through
the doors and in folding and loading his wheelchair.
An engineer who uses a wheelchair held a job in a manufacturing
company that required employees to move throughout a campus facility inspecting
various aspects of the buildings, typically using the ability to climb, scoot,
and crawl into small spaces. The engineers worked in teams. One member of the
team would videotape the areas that this worker could not access. The engineer
then used the videotape to gather pertinent information for the task.
A proofreader in a publishing company who uses a wheelchair was
not able to transport materials from an inaccessible location to her work
station. She was provided a low file cabinet and drawer unit that she could
access and some necessary materials were placed within her reach. This area was
periodically stocked for her by co-workers. Other materials that needed to be
housed elsewhere were brought to her on a daily basis by her co-workers, who
were also obtaining their own materials when retrieving or returning hers.
A federal agency employed two-full time sign language interpreters
to accommodate the communication needs of numerous employees who are deaf.
Having the interpreters on staff eliminated the need to contract out for this
service. This solution saved time and eliminated the necessity of scheduling
interpreters two weeks in advance, allowing for impromptu meetings. In
addition, the staff interpreters were familiar with the vocabulary, protocols,
and individuals within the agency, enabling them to perform their duties
better.
An insurance company program analyst who is deaf had to
communicate with others 90 percent of the time. The person worked with a team,
but team members rotated throughout various projects. An interpreter was hired
to facilitate communication between this worker and other team members.
A private school employed a counselor who is blind. Accommodations
included providing a screen reader and voice synthesizer for computer
activities and a part-time support service assistant for completing handwritten
paperwork and reading print materials.
A health care service case manager who is blind was provided a
driver to assist in making home visits. The same driver also was used for other
driving needs of the health care facility. As often as possible, trips were
scheduled so that the driver was transporting this individual and meeting other
needs of the agency at the same time.
What Resources are Available for Additional
Information?
The Office of Disability Employment Policy's Job Accommodation
Network (JAN) is a toll-free service that provides information about workplace
accommodations and the employability of people with disabilities. Calls are
answered by experienced consultants who have instant access to the most
comprehensive and up-to-date information about accommodation methods, including
personal assistance. Contact: (800) 526-7234 (V/TTY);
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/
The World Institute on Disability s Rehabilitation
Research and Training Center conducts research to further understanding of how
PAS can promote the economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and full
integration of people with disabilities into society. A publication list of
research results is available. For answers to questions, call the center's
Information Connection voice mail response system at (510) 251-4301 or contact
the World Institute on Disability, RTCPAS, 510 16th Street, Suite 100, Oakland,
California 94612, (510) 763-4100 (V), (510) 208-9493 (TTY). |