R1: Longitudinal Study
The Impact of AT & Accommodations on Employment
Project Researchers /Staff
- Salimah Laforce, Project Director
- Dara Bright, Consultant
- Patty Griffiths, Biostatistician
- Boluwatife G Jide-Olugbade, Graduate Research Assistant
- Nathan Moon, Co-investigator
- Karen Milchus, Co-investigator
- Tracy Rackensperger, Co-investigator
- Michelle Ramsey, Co-investigator
*NEW* Take the WATS Survey!
Project Summary
Currently, there is limited evidence that links the use of specific AT and accommodation to employment and job-specific outcomes, and even less empirical data that identifies the individual and environmental factors that facilitate positive outcomes. As such, we are developing a longitudinal omnibus survey, the Work, Accommodations, and Technology Survey (WATS) to understand the relationships between employment experiences, workplace accommodations, Assistive Technology (AT) use, and employment outcomes (e.g., income, job performance, satisfaction, participation).
We anticipate that the outcome of this project will be increased knowledge about the effect AT and accommodations have on people with physical disabilities (PwPD), which can be used to educate service providers, employers, and policymakers on how to empower optimal employment outcomes of current and prospective employees with physical disabilities.
Progress to Date
We are simultaneously conducting narrative interviews and analyzing the same to inform the development of the WATS. The first full draft of the WATS is near completion. The next steps are to vet the measure with our Advisory Board before proceeding to psychometric testing of the instrument. Our goal is to have a diverse sample that includes historically underrepresented populations in research to ensure the WATS is culturally responsive and that the findings have multicultural generalizability.
Paid Research Opportunity: The impact of assistive technologies and accommodations on the non-traditional employment outcomes of people with physical/motor disabilities from Minoritized Populations
Georgia Tech researchers are recruiting Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people with physical/motor disabilities to share their experiences with non-traditional jobs (e.g., freelance, contract, temporary, etc.). We want to understand how assistive technology and/or accommodations impact employment outcomes for minoritized populations. We will interview participants over Zoom or by telephone. The interview will be scheduled for a time that is convenient for you and will take approximately 90 minutes. You will receive $50 as compensation for your time.
Who can participate? To participate in the study, you must be:
- 18 years of age or older
- Be fluent in English or be an ASL-user
- Have an upper and/or lower body physical motor disability (e.g., cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, and others)
- Use assistive technology and/or accommodations for work
- Be employed in a nontraditional job(s)
- Currently work in the U.S.
To be considered, please complete the screening questionnaire. We use this screening tool to ensure that we have a group of diverse participants.