Program for Disability Research

Mission

The Program for Disability Research conducts and coordinates research on the economic, social, and political inclusion of people with disabilities. We focus on two broad areas: employment and political participation of people with disabilities.

Our research has been sponsored by several federal agencies:  the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and the National Council on Disability. We have worked with several partners, including:

• Syracuse University, Burton Blatt Institute
• Cornell University, Employment and Disability Institute
• Rutgers University, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

Presentation Video 

Rutgers Research in Focus: Advancing Disability Employment

Watch the video replay of the hybrid seminar on disability employment research held on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. The session featured speakers from the School of Management and Labor Relations and Rutgers Business School.

Publications and Presentations

• Testimony by Lisa Schur before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP), Hearing on "Lessons Learned from COVID-19: Highlighting Innovations, Maximizing Inclusive Practices and Overcoming Barriers to Employment for People with Disabilities," February 8, 2022
  Complete Schur Testimony | Testimony Summary | View the Hearing Replay

Overview

• "The SMLR Program for Disability Research: Presentation to SMLR State Advisory Council, June 16, 2021"

Employment

• Overviews of employment policy, barriers, and facilitators
• Employment gaps and projections
• Telework
• Pay gaps
• Workplace disparities, accommodations, and corporate culture
• Disability and unions
• Contingent and part-time work
• Job preferences
• Worker displacement

Political Participation

• Voter turnout and voting accessibility
• Political participation in general

Access in the Sharing Economy

• “No Room at the Inn?  Disability Access in the New Sharing Economy,” Academy of Management Discoveries, August 2020, 6(2): 176-205.  By Mason Ameri, Sean Rogers, Lisa Schur, and Douglas Kruse.

Book

People with Disabilities: Sidelined or Mainstreamed? by Lisa Schur, Douglas Kruse, and Peter Blanck

News

PBS NewsHour: "Why is Job Opportunity Still Lagging for People with Disabilities?"