Moving Adults with Disabilities into Employment:  An Overview of Promising Demand-Driven Workforce Practices and Strategies

The NTAR Leadership Center is currently conducting national research on trends and promising practices in moving adults with disabilities to employment. The central goals of the research will be to identify promising approaches to addressing this public policy issue at the state, regional, and municipal level; and to identify areas that are currently undertaking dedicated demand-driven initiatives and strategies designed to enable more adults with disabilities to obtain competitive employment.

The methodology for the study will include:

• A review of national literature in moving adults with developmental, physical, and mental disabilities that outline leading-edge governance, organization, and practices, with particular focus on state, regional, and municipal demand-driven practices that are improving prospects for employment within the context of state, regional and local economic growth, economic development, and workforce development strategies.
• Telephone interviews with experts at national organizations, associations, academic institutions, federal agencies, and national non-profits who are knowledgeable about demand-side disability and employment programs, practices, policies, and "to-work" strategies. Efforts will be made to solicit the identification of promising demand-driven practices from across every level of the workforce development, economic development, and disability employment systems.
• Telephone and on-site structured interviews with key informants in localities selected for in-depth analysis. 

Promising practices will be sought in one or more of the following categories:

Meet the labor force needs of employers - innovative practices that deliver results for businesses and employers by helping employers solve their particular workforce problems through the hiring and retention of adults with disabilities.

Meet the skill needs of adults with disabilities - innovative practices that focus on the skill development of adults with disabilities into jobs in demand in the local/regional/state economy, that create formal career paths for incumbent workers with disabilities, that raise awareness about career opportunities in specific industries or regions, and that develop curricula and training to address identified skill shortages.

Support and strengthen partnerships, leadership development, and governance - organizational innovations that promote partnerships and deepen relationships with employers and/or industry organizations, engage business and economic development leaders in their initiative activities, and  build new areas for collaboration tied to existing or emerging state/local economic development and growth strategies.

Support and nurture business development and entrepreneurship - innovative practices that support the formation and growth of disability-owned businesses, including business incubation, business/entrepreneurship support and preparation, and the stimulation of practices that promote disability-owned businesses as key vendors or suppliers of larger firms.

The goal of the study is to identify, document, and widely disseminate success stories and promising demand-driven practices that are operating throughout  the United States, and that offer to provide greater employment opportunities to adults with disabilities into jobs in demand in the labor market.

Principal Investigators:

Robert Nicholas, Ph.D.

Senior Visiting Fellow for Disability and Employment Research

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

Email:  rnich@rci.rutgers.edu

Ronnie Kauder

Senior Practitioner in Residence

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

Email:  kauder@rci.rutgers.edu

Carl Van Horn, Ph.D.

Professor and Director

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

Email:  vanhorn@rci.rutgers.edu

Research/Issue Briefs

TANF and Disabilities

Guidance to states and localities examining promising strategies and approaches being used by state TANF agencies to help TANF recipients living with a disability.

Lead Researcher: Nanette Relave with April Kaplan, APHSA/Center for Workers with Disabilities

Emerging Trends in Asset Accumulation

Guidance to states and localities on innovative and fresh approaches being used across the nation in the area of assets accumulation that can assist people with disabilities (or adapted for this population) gain assets (series of six 'mini-briefs').

Lead Researcher: Mike Cheek with Megan O'Neil, Community Solutions/NCB Impact

Demand-Driven Workforce Development Strategies for Preparing and Employing People with Disabilities

An overview to states and localities on the basics of  establishing demand-driven workforce preparation and job placement strategies for adults with disabilities including examining existing sector-focused and individual employer-initiated strategies and programs specifically targeting adults with disabilities taking place in some states

Lead Researcher: Ronnie Kauder with Dr. Robert Nicholas, Heldrich Center (synthesis of the national study)

Collaborating and Coordinating with Employers

Guidance to states and localities on approaching, partnering, and working with employers, including an understanding of how employers look for and select qualified skilled workers as well as a discussion of new approaches that include such strategies as customized employment.

Lead Researchers: Elaine Katz, Henry H. Kessler Foundation and Richard Luecking, TransCen, Inc.

Using Workforce and Labor Market Information to Guide Strategy Development for Adults with Disabilities

Guidance to states and localities on where to find and how to use comprehensive data about the labor market for the development of demand-driven workforce strategies targeted to people with disabilities as well as how to integrate the disability perspective into state labor market information analysis efforts.

Lead Researcher: John Dorrer, Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine Department of Labor

Visual Map of Major Federal Workforce Programs Available to Serve Adults with Disabilities

Creation of a clear, accessible matrix map showing major federal programs that have an employment and training component (whole or in part), the federal oversight body, the federal program, the specific target population  the program is intended to serve (e.g., disabled adults and non-disabled adults) , and the types of employment services/activities that the program offers.

Lead Researchers: Kathy Krepcio, Heldrich Center and Neil Ridley, Center for Law and Social Policy

Leveraging State Economic Development Resources to Create Opportunities for People with Disabilities

An overview to states and localities on traditional economic development tools and resources, and how these tools, funding, and public policies could be adapted and/or leveraged to increase employment opportunities for adult job seekers and/or entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Lead Researcher: Dr Carl Van Horn, Heldrich Center

Integrating the Disability Perspective into Regional and Local Workforce Development-Economic Development Strategies

Guidance to states and localities about incorporating opportunities for adult job seekers with disabilities into existing or future state and regional workforce development-economic development partnerships (such as regional U.S. DOL-funded WIRED initiatives) including examining existing efforts taking place in several states

Lead Researcher: Christopher King, Ray Marshall Center, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.