Persons with Disabilities at Work

Abstract

This article supplements the current literature on employment of persons with disabilities. Our data are derived from a survey of employees with disabilities at the place of their employment. More than three-quarters of the employees of the 12 gaming casinos in Atlantic City responded to a survey that inquired about their demographic characteristics, their medical conditions, and whether they were limited in the amount or kind of work they could do at their jobs. More than 8% of the employees were classified as disabled, twice the number of those with disabilities in the labor force in the state. Findings from the survey indicate that casinos differ in their employment of persons with disabilities. Some of these differences can be attributed to observable differences among the casinos in the composition of their work force (including age, gender, and education), whereas other differences can be attributed to differences in the composition of casino jobs. After incorporating such observed differences, remaining differences in employment of persons with disabilities are attributed to formal and informal disability employment policies and practices. On the basis of estimates of the magnitude of these policy differences, we determine that if all casinos could be brought to the level of the best casino, 1,223 more persons with disabilities would be employed in the industry. Further research is discussed to determine reasons for the differences among casinos.

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