Saturday, September 30, 2023
9/30/2023
Georgia Tech’s Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation proposes an Advanced Rehabilitation and Research Training Project (ARRT) – Equitable Employment across Evolving Work Paradigms to build capacity in employment research regarding individuals with disabilities. Traditional work performed onsite, workplace accommodations, and assistive technologies allowed access to practices and technologies that overcame physical and social barriers for individuals with disabilities. Initially contingent employment and the gig economy were thought to facilitate employment for people with disabilities. However, access to accommodations required under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act became unavailable in these economies, creating different barriers to participation. Additionally, the global pandemic shifted work paradigm, with businesses allowing telework, modified schedules, and work technology to be used in the home environment. These allowed for productivity at home while maintaining social distancing for health reasons, as well as enabling education and childcare as schools moved to remote education and daycare facilities closed. As these “accommodations” became mainstream, employers recognized that telework could be applied much more broadly than before. Many travel-related and architectural barriers to employment were significantly reduced for people with mobility disabilities, while communications and video technology barriers were created for a those with sensory and communication limitations. The ARRT will train Occupational Therapy Doctoral degree holders as postdoctoral fellows capable of identifying and addressing barriers and facilitators present within a variety of employment paradigms and translating acquired knowledge in meaningful and useful ways to vocational rehabilitation counselors, rehabilitation engineers, therapists, and employers. The programmatic components developed using an instructional design framework include cla ssroom and formal instruction, didactic training and research process, proposal development and grant writing, and independent research projects. The long-term outcomes will result in increased engagement of people with disabilities across all work paradigms to allow individuals with disabilities to fully realize the promise of the Rehabilitation Act to “live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society, pursue meaningful careers, and enjoy full inclusion and integration in the … mainstream of American society.”
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
