Mathematica Issue Forum: Aligning Community Practices with Trends in Rehabilitation | Interagency Committee on Disability Research

01/29/2016

Aligning Community Practices with Trends in Rehabilitation: Researching and Validating the Pathways to Careers Initiative: A Policy Forum and Live Webinar Sponsored by the Center for Studying Disability Policy

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, only about 20 percent of the people who have disabilities are in the workforce. Further, individuals with disabilities face significant barriers to finding competitive, integrated, and full-wage employment. Often, they are relegated to segregated workshops; enclaves; or low-paying, part-time positions in the service industry. It is rare for them to successfully pursue careers in industries that are well matched to their interests and capabilities.

Pathways to Careers is an innovative employment program for people with disabilities, designed to include four core elements: (1) strengths-based assessment of participants, (2) an 8–12 week paid internship, (3) employment that features an employer payroll tax adjustment, and (4) ongoing career support. Mathematica Policy Research is now evaluating Pathways.

Join Mathematica's Center for Studying Disability Policy to learn about Pathways' progress and the early findings from our evaluation.