Research
To support the development of policies and practices/tools used to increase and improve employment opportunities for persons with a disability, ODEP conducts and oversees a wide variety of research and evaluation activities.
Current and Recently Completed Research
Evaluating the Accessibility of American Job Centers for People with Disabilities (American Job Centers) — To evaluate the accessibility of the network of American Job Centers (AJCs, formerly known as One-Stop Career Centers) to persons with disabilities.
Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) Models and Strategies — Through its previous research and policy development efforts, ODEP determined that a compelling case could be made for advancing stay at SAW/RTW through early intervention strategies as a cost-effective, mutually beneficial means of partially addressing the high unemployment of Americans with disabilities. Successful SAW/RTW early intervention strategies, if sufficiently promoted, could result in lower costs for the American taxpayer, lower personnel costs for employers and higher incomes for recovering workers.
In an effort to expand upon its work and identify several early intervention models and strategies that have the potential to make SAW/RTW more coherent and viable, ODEP is sponsoring a new study. This study will identify characteristics of target populations who might benefit from SAW/RTW strategies, interventions, and services. It will also identify the pathways of workers from the point of injury, illness, or disability to Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) application and develop evaluation design options to add to the evidence-base about SAW/RTW models and strategies.
- The final report will be available in 2019.
Improving Access to Data for Disability-Related Research — Collaborating with the National Academy of Social Insurance, ODEP is sponsoring this research to assess the feasibility of establishing data-sharing agreements with states and insurers to obtain micro-level data on recipients of Workers' Compensation, Social Security Disability Insurance, State Disability Insurance, and Paid Family Leave Benefits. The purpose of this data is to identify target populations whose characteristics may best be suited for successful SAW/RTW interventions. Also, this research assesses options, along with their feasibility, for developing a web-based resource that will house the aforementioned data in a format accessible to researchers.
- Feasibility reports expected in May 2018.
SSI Youth Recipient and Employment Transition Formative Research project — The purpose of the SSI Youth Recipient and Employment Transition Formative Research project is to identify (1) promising programs and policies for youth SSI recipients, including research questions for further follow-up and (2) testable strategies or strategy models for assisting young SSI recipients with the transition to sustained, gainful employment.
The first report to emerge from the project, seeks to document promising strategies to promote sustained, gainful employment for youth SSI recipients. Two subsequent reports will use the information from the first report to identify the most promising target populations and propose evaluation options for select strategies. The report that targets populations of youth SSI recipients (or youth at risk of becoming SSI recipients), will identify those youth that would benefit the most from highlighted strategies. The evaluating strategies report will identify approaches that will provide policymakers with compelling information for assessing the efficacy of promising strategies and the likelihood of their implementation at a broader scale.
- All three reports will be available by the end of FY 2018.
State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) Evaluation — To better understand the efficiency and practicality of the Office of Disability Employment Policy's SEED, a collaborative model dedicated to ensuring that state policymakers have the tools and resources they need to develop and disseminate meaningful polices related to disability-inclusive workforce development.
- Final Report expected December 2018
Community College Interventions for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities — Evaluation — To conduct implementation and impact evaluations on innovative models for providing integrated education and career development services to youth and young adults with disabilities.
- Final Report expected August 2019
Survey of Employer Policies on the Employment of People with Disabilities — To design and administer a new survey to collect information from employers about organizational policies, practices, successes and challenges as well as attitudes and beliefs in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities. Similar to the 2008 survey that ODEP sponsored, this effort will help ODEP formulate targeted strategies and policies for increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
- Final Report expected September 2019
Evaluation of Customer Satisfaction with Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Technical Assistance Centers — ODEP in collaboration with DOL's Chief Evaluation Office is sponsoring this study to determine the extent to which external customers are satisfied with the technical assistance provided. The study also aims to document the processes and methods used by the Technical Assistance (TA) Centers to encourage the adoption and implementation of Office of Disability Employment Policy's (ODEP's) policies and practices by targeted and untargeted customers.
- Final Report expected March 2020
Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) Evaluation Grant Rounds 1-4 — ODEP and the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) have jointly funded the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) to increase access to training and employment opportunities and improve outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits (SSDI). ODEP has awarded DEI grants to 26 states in four rounds.
The Rounds 1-4 DEI Evaluation examines the implementation, outcomes, and impact of the DEI. The evaluation uses an experimental design that assesses the impact of the DEI. Evaluation activities began in the fall of 2010 and will continue through 2017. The DEI evaluation also includes a detailed analysis of issues related to program start-up, how grantees resolve implementation challenges, and approaches to creating sustainable systems change in local workforce development systems.
A final, comprehensive report will be available in 2018 following the conclusion of the evaluation activities and data collection in 2017.
Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) Evaluation Grant Rounds 5-6 — The Rounds 5-6 DEI Evaluation includes an implementation, outcome, and impact study. It also includes the collection of qualitative information designed to identify systems change and measure program fidelity. The impact study includes two distinct quasi-experimental designs (QED). One QED will examine the impact of DEI interventions (integrated resource teams, blending and braiding of funds, customized employment, self-employment, guidepost for success, and asset development) on participants' employment and education outcomes. The second QED will evaluate the impact of the career pathways component on participant outcomes.
An interim report will be available in 2018 and the final report in 2020.
Completed Research
ODEP has completed a number of research activities.