Personal Assistance Services (PAS) for individuals with disabilities: self-care at the workplace.

Objective: The intent of this investigation was to identify current definitions, issues, and strategies related to the use of Personal Assistance Services (PAS) in the workplace.

Participants: The participants were employees with disabilities who used PAS in the workplace as well as employers who participated in research studies over the past 20 years.

Methods: More than 30 articles were reviewed to determine PAS definitions, use, policies, and outcomes. A comprehensive search of bibliographic resources (e.g., EBSCOhost) was conducted to identify appropriate articles.

Results: The articles revealed current definitions of workplace PAS, demonstrated an increasing need for PAS, and highlighted fiscal and societal barriers to the full implementation of PAS at work.

Conclusions: The outcomes clarify the historical components, but also identify questions that remain. These questions concern the effectiveness of PAS, best practices for funding PAS, and the need for national and local policies to support the use of PAS for workers with disabilities.