Employment barriers questionnaire: Development and determination of its reliability and validity

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Occupational Therapy
• Disability Studies

Background:

• High unemployment rates persist among people with disabilities (PWDs).
• Barriers in the work environment and job demands contribute to unemployment.
• A need exists for comprehensive tools to identify these employment barriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Employment Barriers Questionnaire (EBQ).
• To assess the EBQ's reliability and validity in identifying employment barriers.
• To identify potential modifications to overcome identified barriers.

Main Methods:

• Two-stage study involving 39 people with physical disabilities.
• Stage I: Developed EBQ.I, assessed internal and test-retest reliability, and predictive validity.
• Stage II: Developed EBQ.II, assessed internal reliability and known-groups validity.

Main Results:

• EBQ.II demonstrated high internal reliability (α=0.79-0.97) and validity.
• EBQ.I showed high test-retest reliability (ICC=0.85-0.94) and predictive validity.
• Significant known-groups validity was found for EBQ.II.

Conclusions:

• The EBQ.II is a validated and reliable instrument.
• The EBQ effectively identifies employment barriers and suggests modifications.
• The EBQ is expected to enhance vocational rehabilitation services for PWDs.