We’re shaping our next research proposal, and your insights can help ensure it benefits employment programs and job seekers.

Hello,

It’s grant writing season, and we’d love your insights for our next research proposal. Are you in?

Here’s the challenge we’re addressing—and a chance for you to help shape the research agenda.

Most people with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive non-work services instead of employment services leading to competitive integrated employment—even though best practices and strong policies exist in favor of employment.

A key reason may be the fragmented funding environment. Employment programs must juggle fee-for-service, milestone, and outcome-based models across VR, state IDD agencies, counties, and other funding entities—each with different rules and documentation requirements. This makes it harder to deliver quality employment services. We hear examples like employer networking not being billable, heavy paperwork, and service authorizations taking weeks—leaving job seekers and employers stuck.

Our research aims to answer:
• How do funding and regulatory requirements help or hinder the use of supported and customized employment best practices?
• What solutions would make it easier to deliver these practices consistently, reducing reliance on non-work services?

We’ll interview managers, state leads, job seekers, and families, then follow up with a survey of a larger pool of employment programs.

The goal is to develop a Decision Guide to help funders use their funding and rules in ways that strengthen employment programs and reduce reliance on non-work services.

What do you think of this direction? If it’s not the right focus, what should we researchers study to make your work easier and help more job seekers reach their career goals?

We’d love to hear your bold ideas. Please share by replying to this email or anonymously at this link.

Thank you for helping shape research that supports thriving employment programs.

Alberto

Gut feelings can only take you so far – analyze the right data, spot the trends that matter, and adjust your game plan in real time (Dave Kline, MGMT Playbook).

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