Connecting Human Resource Development with Vocational Rehabilitation to Facilitate the Integration of People with Disabilities in the Workforce: A Preliminary Conversation

Abstract: Effectiveness in serving employers is one of the performance indicators that Congress incorporated into the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (2014). This indicator evaluates how well vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies meet employers' needs and expectations in their respective states. The indicator is reported on a combined basis for all six core workforce development systems in the United States, including VR. The federal government uses three pilot approaches to evaluate agency performance on this indicator: retention with the same employer, repeat employers, and employer penetration rate. Given the availability of this data effective with program year (PY) 2018, an analysis of the data from the pilot approaches indicates significant room for improvement across all three pilot measures for all available PY reports. To address this, VR agencies must deepen and strengthen their engagement with employers to achieve improved outcomes for businesses and people seeking employment.

VR services for people with disabilities have traditionally prioritized the supply-side of the labor market, such as training individuals for job placement. However, the recent prioritization of demand-side approaches that actively consider business needs in addition to the needs of people with disabilities suggests that this approach (i.e., the dual customer approach) may be more effective for addressing longstanding gaps regarding unfilled positions and disabled workers in that it ensures the “immediate and long-term needs of local employers are integrated into the VR planning process” (Moore et al., 2018, p. 153). In the dual customer approach, businesses are viewed as ultimate job creators, and VR agencies are viewed as partners or consultants to businesses in addressing their hiring needs, increasing the likelihood of people with disabilities identifying viable employment opportunities that align with their strengths, interests, preferences, and needs (Haines et al., 2018).

This changing landscape of VR and its related law necessitates collaboration between VR agencies and employers’ human resource development (HRD) groups to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into the workforce. Despite growing interest in diversity and social justice, HRD’s inclusion of people with disabilities is still lagging behind. There have been important contributions, for example, Nafukho et al. (2010) calling for embracing disability as diversity, Procknow and Rocco (2017) raising awareness on people with disabilities as a forgotten employee group, and more recently Kwon and Archer (2022) exploring ableism and its influences on the work lives of people with disabilities; however, more work is needed to move the field forward in this area (Kwon, 2023). Specifically, as Kuchinke (2003) called for two decades ago, we need more contextual knowledge, in this case, on how to develop a disabled workforce in the context of VR to meet labor market demands.

In this proposed study, we will conduct an integrative literature review on the dual customer approach to explore possible connections between HRD and VR to propose a few areas in which these two fields can collaborate. Potential recommendations include (1) providing pre-employment training and individualized support for job candidates with disabilities based on employers’ needs and high-demand skills in their industries; (2) preparing VR counselors to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to reach employers effectively; and (3) helping employers to be able to provide ongoing support to their hired disabled workers for sustainable employment.

In addressing the need for the dual customer approach to VR services via collaboration between HRD and VR, VR agencies will be better positioned to meet the needs of employers, which is a key indicator of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’s success. Improving the effectiveness of VR agencies' services for employers can help to improve the employment outcomes of people with disabilities while also increasing labor market participation rates. As the economy undergoes significant changes related to skills required in today’s labor market, the need for VR agencies to view employers as customers will only increase to ensure that people with disabilities are well-positioned to secure and retain employment.