Employer and Counselor Perceptions of Workplace Accommodations for Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

This study compared employers' and vocational rehabilitation counselors' attitudes and willingness to consider various workplace accommodations for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition to comparing what types of accommodations might be considered reasonable, the study also investigated both employers' and counselors' lack of willingness to make various accommodations. Lack of willingness to make accommodations was addressed in terms of the three most commonly offered reasons for why an accommodation is potentially not reasonable: (a) not fair to co-workers, (b) too time consuming, and (c) too costly. Scenarios were developed to directly gather information on potential accommodations for workers who displayed functional limitations within the seven capacity areas mentioned by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in their definition of severe disability. While for the most part counselors' views tended to be similar to those of employers, in general counselors tended to rate accommodations as more problematic than employers. In addition, counselors tended to view functional limitations within the individual as most problematic while employers viewed limitations in actual job performance as most problematic.