Yet more than four decades later, these individuals face higher unemployment, participate in work programs and services in lower numbers, and have limited funding for employment services, compared to the general population.

Mathematica partnered with the University of New Hampshire’s Employment Policy and Measurement Research and Rehabilitation Training Center on a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to study and measure the impact of national policies and programs on the employment of people with disabilities. Annual research-to-policy roundtables, an online training series, and a national conference will provide a variety of accessible opportunities to discuss findings. In addition, the center published a research-to-policy brief series as well as provide varying levels of technical assistance.

As part of the project, the Mathematica team led seven studies to learn more about the effects of program incentives on employment outcomes for people with disabilities. We also conducted a comparative assessment of employment measures across surveys and administrative records, and tapping extensive administrative data sources, including data from the Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Rehabilitation Services Administration.