Constant-Attendance Allowances for Non-Work-Related Disability

inclusion of new predictor variables may be important in accounting for the unexplained variance. For example, psychological factors such as work-motivation, self-concept, and work-satisfaction may help predict what the outcome of the disability will be. The emphasis of this study is on the consequences of chronic disability. Results show that severity of disability alone does not determine the disabling consequences since current employment status and personal earning are influenced by other social and demographic factors. The recurring importance of industry of employment in the statistical analyses indicates that more concern should be given to the working environment of the disabled when ascertaining their needs. Industries vary greatly according to work requirements, work conditions, benefits for employees and union members, etc. The criteria for judging severity of disability should include not only work limitations but other factors that influence the degree to which the disabled are dependent on those around them for economic, social, and psychological well-being. The prospects for future research in disability rest on a social epidemiological understanding of risk factors that directly contribute to the severity of the disabling condition. Part of this understanding will be obtained by collecting complete social-demographic information about the disabled through survey research, but a significant proportion of knowledge must come from an investigation of disabling factors in a socialpsychological perspective. It is important to gain insight into the conditions of the disabled that distinguish them from the general population. A fruitful approach is the utilization of comparative groups with respect to differing levels of functional limitations. By using this approach and, more specifically, by focusing attention on the individual with the functional limitation and not the disabling condition itself, those characteristics of the disabled that render him prone to severe disability can be identified. Perhaps the researcher’s necessary classification of the disabled in terms of severity of disability, however, limits him to an analysis of medical conditions and prohibits him from discussing the disabled’s social conditions. Social Security Abroad