Introduction and Welcome to DEP RRTC
Read the entire Newsletter
A Message from the Principal Investigator Dr. Peter Blanck
Dear Colleague:
Welcome to the inaugural Newsletter of the Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research Training Center (DEP RRTC) led by the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.
This Newsletter introduces the new DEP RRTC, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). NIDILRR is the United States government’s premier federal research organization on disability.
Our Commitment
The DEP RRTC contributes to the next generation of federal and state disability employment policies. We are a hub for forward-looking research, education, training, and knowledge dissemination. We aim to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the second quarter of the 21st century and beyond.
The focus of our work is an expansive, five-year agenda of coordinated research projects designed to explore and identify the policies, factors, and conditions that empower people with disabilities to access and succeed in the workforce. The DEP RRTC projects address the facets of an individual’s employment life cycle. Each project shares a commitment to identifying policy solutions for the future labor market and the employment potential of people with disabilities.
The DEP RRTC focuses on three strands of research:
- The Employment Landscape: projects include labor demand, local infrastructure, and disability employment policy.
- Enhancing Employment: projects include self-employment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in employer hiring practices, and Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Systems Transformation.
- Job Quality & Retention: projects include workplace accommodations and contingent work activities.
Our future newsletters will provide in-depth information about these projects and relevant findings. Our findings will also be disseminated widely to people with disabilities, policymakers, researchers, educators, and employers in accessible, usable, and relevant policy briefs, publications, educational and training materials, webinars and podcasts.
Our team
Under BBI’s leadership, with Peter Blanck as Principal Investigator, the DEP RRTC team is made up of leading disability educators, researchers, and community leaders.
Along with BBI, the core partners are Rutgers, Harvard, and Cornell universities, and Mathematica. Our partners include disability-led organizations, such as the National Organization on Disability (NOD), Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU), Mental Health America (MHA), Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), and the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), among other leading stakeholders.
Engage with Us
In the coming five years, the DEP RRTC will develop and disseminate timely and relevant newsletters, policy briefs, training materials, peer-reviewed publications, books, webinars, and other resources on social media. Join us on this journey and partner with us by:
- Visiting our website and social media and the BBI website to engage with us and contribute to our efforts.
- Subscribing to this Newsletter for updates on our efforts.
- Partnering in research, policy briefing, and stakeholder forums, and suggesting ideas for these events.
- Engaging with our Center Advisory Group (CAG), which includes representatives from diverse stakeholder groups. The CAG will provide ongoing employment policy and practice knowledge, helping to keep our research and Knowledge Translation (KT) activities relevant and usable to all stakeholders.
- Contacting our Knowledge Translation and Utilization Director, Jonathan Martinis to share ideas, suggest ways we can partner, and comment on our efforts that may be tailored to your interests.