Project Description:
Background. When considering the employment of people with disabilities, it is important to consider several closely related issues: persistently low employment rates among people with disabilities; high rates of participation in safety net programs that expose participants to work disincentives; low rates of participation in programs providing employment services; delays in receiving employment services; limited funding for employment services; and lack of coordination between employment services and safety net programs.
Immediate Needs. In order to address these issues, policymakers, program administrators, advocates, and people with disabilities need (1) compelling evidence-based information on the effectiveness of past initiatives and the impacts of potential options for policy changes, and (2) effective ways of measuring and monitoring the employment outcomes as policies change.
Mission. To meet these needs, the proposed Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC) will (a) investigate the impact of government policies and programs on employment, with particular attention to the effects of program interactions, (b) examine new ways of measuring employment outcomes, and (c) facilitate the translation of research findings into policymaking and program administration.
Collaborators. To fulfill this mission, an experienced, interdisciplinary team?with expertise that spans the areas of research, knowledge translation, and policy formation?has been assembled. This team includes the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Cornell University, Mathematica Policy Research, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, and the University of New Hampshire.
Research. This team will conduct a comprehensive set of 13 research projects that focus on program interactions and employment measurement. Many of these projects utilize cross-sectional and longitudinal data derived from several sources: national surveys, program administrative records, administrative records linked across programs, and/or surveys linked to administrative records. Projects R1a?R1e will study interactions across programs including state vocational rehabilitation services, Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid Buy-In programs, and the role of such interactions in promoting or hindering employment of people with disabilities, often taking advantage of linked and/or longitudinal data. Projects R1f?R1i focus on specific services (health and education), continuing our use of linked and/or longitudinal data in several ways. Projects R2a?R2d focus on employment measurement (including workplace adjustments) and compare measures in administrative records and surveys.
Knowledge Translation. The EPM-RRTC team will also conduct an integrated set of 13 knowledge translation projects designed to convey research findings to key stakeholders and work with these stakeholders to develop research-to-policy implementation strategies. The Center?s training projects (T1?T5) will provide a variety of accessible in-person and online opportunities to interact with the Center?s investigators to learn about the findings of the research projects, notably through the Annual Research-to-Policy Roundtables, State-of-the-Science Conference in Year 3, and the Online Training Series. Similarly, the Center?s dissemination projects (DM1?DM5) will provide a variety of accessible opportunities to read about research findings and other emerging topics, notably through the Research-to-Policy Brief Series and Disability, Employment, and Government Policy in America, an edited volume modeled after two edited volumes created under previous RRTCs. An edited volume is a permanent and effective way to synthesize research findings. Projects TA1?TA3 will provide direct varying levels of technical assistance.
Outcomes and Expected Impact. By conducting this integrated set of research and knowledge translation activities, the EPM-RRTC will generate new knowledge and techniques to move the field of disability policy studies forward and facilitate the utilization of this knowledge among key stakeholders. In doing so, the EPM-RRTC expects to positively influence the integration of government programs, and ultimately increase the employment and social participation of people with disabilities.
Target Audience:
Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, Legislators/Policy Makers
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Mulit-County, Regional, National
