We will conduct and translate qualitative, cross-sectional, and longitudinal research into tools to promote quality employment outcomes for people with disability secondary to spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), and stroke. Our goal is to identify modifiable barriers and facilitators that may be targets of policy change, leading to improved quality employment outcomes, including, but not limited to, earnings, benefits, promotions, and job satisfaction. The three study objectives are: (1) use qualitative methods to identify the primary barriers to employment, including the impact of COVID-19, (2) develop econometric models to quantify employment outcomes between diagnostic groups, and (3) develop longitudinal models linking barriers and facilitators with quality measures of employment. The labor force participation model will be used to identify disparities in outcomes related to race ethnicity, sex, diagnosis, and functional status, whether disparities have been magnified over time with the COVID-19 pandemic, and how changes in employment outcomes compare with that of the general population. Longitudinal models will test hypotheses previously generated from cross-sectional research and assess the applicability of these models since the beginning of the pandemic. Products include: (1) generating new data from which to guide policy, practice, and self-management, (2) scientific and stakeholder publications, (3) presentations at national and international conferences, and, most importantly, (4) development of individualized tools for predicting of expected outcomes based on the presence of facilitators or the removal of barriers to quality employment. These products may be used by individuals with disability and VR professionals to promote better quality outcomes, rather than focusing solely on improving employment rates.
