Volunteering among Adults with Functional Limitations and Work Disability in the United States

• In Event: 120 - Regular Session. Disability and Social Life

Abstract

Volunteering is positively associated with a variety of health and social capital measures. While the characteristics of volunteering among the general United States population are well-established, there is currently no comprehensive study of volunteer activity among working-aged people with disabilities—who often experience lower levels of social inclusion and thus may reap greater benefits to civic engagement. This study addresses that gap by using data from the 2009-2013 Volunteer Supplements of the Current Population Survey to produce nationally representative estimates of volunteering rates, intensity, breadth, type of organization, and type of volunteer activity among adults with work disabilities and functional limitations. Results from OLS, logistic, and truncated Poisson models indicate that having a work disability negatively associates with the likelihood of volunteering, annual volunteer hours, and number of volunteer organizations. Adults with work disabilities are also less likely to participate in youth and cultural organizations and in coaching, tutoring, food distribution, and professional tasks. Adults with functional limitations also experience differences in volunteering, but these are mediated by work disability and other sociodemographic indicators. This study indicates that that there is a significant gap in the likelihood, amount, and type of volunteering between people with and without disabilities—an important first step toward understanding the context in which volunteering can become more inclusive.

Author

• Carrie L. Shandra, State University of New York-Stony Brook