Background: To improve employment outcome, systematic research that is based on demandside needs is needed to clarify how employer practice factors can affect customized training efforts. Objective: The purpose of this study is to report the results of a scoping review to identify the best employer practices that are used to improve customized…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the current literature regarding the vocational rehabilitation services found effective in promoting employment among transition-age youth with disabilities as well as identifying factors affecting the effectiveness of those services. Methods: This study utilized the Preferred…

People with disabilities are employed at a rate much lower than people without disabilities (Erickson et al., 2022). People with disabilities can be excellent employees who bring a wide range of skills and abilities to their work. Businesses may experience increased productivity and positive publicity as benefits to hiring people with disabilities…

Recent national and state-level policy changes have created an imperative for service providers to transform from sheltered work to competitive integrated employment. The current study sought to understand the impact of participation in a 1-year, comprehensive technical assistance pilot designed to support service providers to transform away from…

In 2015, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) identified a source of difficulty in finding well-qualified applicants who are visually impaired (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) for employment in services positions. People who are visually impaired develop technology skills sufficient to perform the functions they need in daily…

The ability to make choices fuels the development of one's sense of agency and personal control. Yet as individuals with disabilities age, choice opportunities often become more limited and restricted in nature. Previous research reports that staff practices directly influence choice-making opportunities for adults with disabilities (Cobigo,…

Background: Although there is an increasing demand for workers in STEM fields, people with disabilities are underrepresented in STEM educational programs and related occupations. Among those who achieved competitive integrated employment after serving under an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) by the state-federal vocational rehabilitation…

Purpose: The purpose of this in-depth case study was to better understand how practices, policies, and structures contributed to a large health care organization's track record of hiring, training, and retaining persons with disabilities (PWDs). Method: We conducted in-depth interviews with 63 key informants across four hospitals in the hospital…

Workforce development programs and job satisfaction were topics that were well-studied in traditional groups of workers and it was known that these programs had a positive effect on the contributions and outcomes of today's organizations. The research problem addressed the lack of focus on non-traditional groups of workers and the associated lower…

People with disabilities in Australia face significant employment barriers. Research and policy initiatives over the past fifteen years have consistently emphasised the benefits of vocational education and training generally, and apprenticeship and traineeships specifically, as leading to positive vocational pathways and employment outcomes for…

This article reports a case study, carried out to determine how successfully one school's provision was preparing its learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to move into some form of employment. Data were obtained from the principal stakeholders: staff, parent/carers and students. This was generated by questionnaires and…

Several federal agencies, including the Small Business Administration (SBA), provide training and other assistance to veterans seeking civilian employment. In recent years, the unemployment rate among veterans as a whole has generally been similar to or lower than the unemployment rate for nonveterans 18 years and older. However, veterans who have…

Transition-age youth with autism (TAY-ASD) experience poor employment outcomes and gaps in services that could assist them in securing jobs. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is a source of public assistance for people with disabilities seeking employment and TAY-ASD are a growing segment of VR service users. Postsecondary education (PSE) is…

The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program is the largest workforce program in the United States, providing employment services to people with disabilities to help them retain or enter competitive integrated employment commensurate with their abilities and capabilities. During the pandemic, state VR services were significantly affected and in some…

This document serves as the final report to the Pierce Foundation for funding to support the design and implementation of a 1.5-day Forum entitled "Technology Changes Everything: A Forum on Inclusive Tech and Jobs for a Diverse Workforce" conducted in New York City on October 26-27, 2017 at Baruch College. The conference idea was…