NIDILRR employment grantees are called to translate research into practical strategies that improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. One way to accomplish that goal is through strong partnerships with employers and professionals who support disability employment outcomes, such as vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency staff and workforce professionals. This webinar features Dr. Kathy Sheppard-Jones and Christina Forster presenting findings of employer engagement training needs conducted through the Training Innovation Project (TIP), which is funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). A national needs assessment collected input from vocational rehabilitation and workforce professionals to better understand their employer engagement training needs, preferred learning formats, and capacity to engage with businesses. A second needs assessment was conducted with businesses. Results of key informant interviews will also be shared.

This session will highlight key themes from the findings and focus on how they can inform the design, development, and dissemination of research-based products and technical assistance. Drawing on TIP’s emphasis on demand-side engagement and capacity-building, the webinar will raise grantees’ awareness of the needs of the workforce system and employer partners.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the purpose and scope of the TIP employer engagement assessments and interviews, and the types of input collected from workforce professionals and businesses.
• Summarize key employer engagement training needs and themes identified.
• Apply findings to inform the development of research-based resources, training, and technical assistance for NIDILRR audiences.
• Identify opportunities to align project activities with the employer engagement needs of the workforce system and business partners.

Presenters

Kathy Sheppard-Jones, PhD, CRC, is the Principal Investigator for the Training Innovation Project at the University of Kentucky (UK). Over the past 25 years, she has worked on projects that build capacity, assess systems, and strive to improve life outcomes for people with disabilities. She is past Executive Director of UK’s Human Development Institute. She earned her doctorate in Educational Psychology and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from UK. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor. Her research interests include knowledge translation, leadership, universal design, technology, community education, and Return-to-Work.

Christina L. Forster is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) with more than 20 years of experience navigating complex employment and disability-related services and conducting program evaluation. She joined the Human Development Institute (HDI) Evaluation Unit in 2024 and supports multiple grant-funded projects focused on improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Her work on the Training Innovation Project (TIP) centers on evaluating and analyzing data, including key informant interview analysis, training evaluations, and other project assessment activities. This work builds on her prior experience with the National MS Society, where she led national employment, benefits and health insurance initiatives, and with Virginia Vocational Rehabilitation, where she served as a vocational rehabilitation counselor helping people with disabilities achieve successful and sustainable employment outcomes.