How does employment status differ for people with different disabilities or functional limitations?
The likelihood of employment varies significantly among people with different disabilities and different functional limitations. The SIPP asks questions about disability status to determine whether a person uses a wheelchair, has used a cane, crutches or walker for at least 6 months, or has a mental disability. Functional activities measured by the SIPP include the ability to perform specific sensory and physical activities such as seeing ordinary newspaper print, hearing normal conversation, having speech understood, lifting or carrying 10 pounds, walking a quarter of a mile without resting, or climbing a flight of stairs without resting. Difficulty in performing any of these activities is considered a functional limitation. Among people with no disability, 82.1% are employed. The percentage employed drops sharply for people with different functional limitations and other disabilities. Of those with mental disabilities, 41.3% are employed. The percentage employed is even lower for peo
