By Laurel White
A team of UW–Madison researchers dedicated to improving job training and career-related support for individuals with disabilities have received several new federal grants to expand their work.
From connecting young people with disabilities to their first job to studying the best ways to help disabled professionals retain jobs that become lifelong careers, the projects span individuals’ professional lifespan — and reach partner organizations across the United States.
All of the projects are based out of the Innovative Partnership for Advancing Rehabilitation Research and Training (IPARRT), a research lab housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). WCER is part of the UW–Madison School of Education.
Tim Tansey, a professor in the School of Education’s Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, directs IPARRT. He says the projects showcase the depth and breadth of work happening in the lab.
“These projects all serve our overarching goal of better understanding and combating the multifaceted challenges individuals with disabilities face,” Tansey says. “We hope this work will inspire and inform programs that support those individuals as they are meaningfully included in society.”
The seven new projects were funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration and National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Their cumulative funding is $17 million over the next five years.
In addition to Tansey, the projects are led by Malachy Bishop, the Norman L. and Barbara M. Berven Professor of Rehabilitation Psychology in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, Cayte Anderson, principal investigator and researcher at WCER, and Emily Brinck, principal investigator and researcher at WCER. Stacie Castillo provides project management and communications for the efforts.
The projects’ research and outreach will take place across the country. In addition to sites in Wisconsin, partner institutions are located in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, Florida, and Mississippi.
The projects will:
- Connect youth and young adults between 14 and 21 years old with the services they need to find good jobs to launch their careers.
- Provide job training in cybersecurity, 3D modeling, and informational technology.
- Provide an intervention aimed at helping individuals stay and thrive long-term in their current jobs.
- Provide support for individuals diagnosed with long COVID as they find and retain jobs.
- Support vocational rehabilitation agencies as they work to provide additional training and career advancement to their rehabilitation counseling staff.
- Conduct research on the efficacy of existing programs that support job training and career success.
Broadly, Tansey’s research focuses on applying novel technology in vocational rehabilitation and rehabilitation counselor education, evidence-based practices in vocational rehabilitation, self-regulation, and self-determination. He leads the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education that seeks to increase the knowledge and skills of state vocational rehabilitation agencies and community partners that serve people with disabilities as they work to find great jobs and grow their careers.
Bishop’s research centers on employment and psychosocial aspects of chronic neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, and the application of quality of life research to adaptation to chronic illness and disability. He was the 2020 recipient of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association James F. Garrett Distinguished Career in Rehabilitation Research Award.
Over the past two decades, Anderson’s research has focused on improving quality employment outcomes in the public vocational rehabilitation program, including addressing organizational processes to improve outcomes for students, youth, and adults with disabilities seeking career pathways and financial empowerment. She promotes the use of participatory methods throughout research and evaluation efforts to ensure balanced perspective, and to support equity and access with the populations involved.
Brinck’s research centers on improving employment outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities, with a strong focus on job retention and workforce integration. Her work explores innovative strategies, including technology-assisted supervision and interagency collaboration, to address barriers to employment and ensure long-term job retention. She is dedicated to enhancing the transition services provided to youth with disabilities, ensuring sustainable employment outcomes, and addressing the unique challenges faced by individuals with intersecting minority identities. That work is supported by numerous grants aimed at advancing career opportunities and fostering disability inclusion.