I.T. Works

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I.T. Works
Principal Investigator Peter D. Blanck, Ph.D.,
J.D. Project Director James L. Schmeling,
J.D. Co-Investigator Kevin M. Schartz, Ph.D.,
M.C.S. Co-Investigator Robert David Dawson,
Ph.D.
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I.T. Works

• A project of the Law, Health Policy Disability
  at the University of Iowa College of Law
• Funded by U.S. Department of Education NIDDR
  grant H133A011803

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LHPDC

• The Law, Health Policy, and Disability Center is
  an emerging leader in law, technology, education
  and research.
• We are focused on improving the quality of life
  for person living with disabilities.

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LHPDC

• Based at the University of Iowa College of Law,
  with a satellite office in Washington, D.C., the
  center concentrates on public policy and its
  impact on persons with disabilities, with an
  emphasis on employment, self-determination and
  self-sufficiency.
• For more information, visit our web site
  http//www.its.uiowa.edu/law

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Definitions

• I.T. information technology computers,
  software, telecommunications products and
  services, networks, Internet and online services
• I.T.A.A. Information Technology Association of
  America

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More definitions

• I.T. Firm a company that creates and sells
  commercial I.T. solutions to customers
• non-I.T. Firm a company that uses I.T.
  solutions to assist in business operations but is
  not developing such solutions for commercial sales

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Problem

• Research shows there is demand for, and shortage
  of, trained information technology (IT) workers.
• Research also shows the percentage of working
  individuals with disabilities is substantially
  lower than the percentage of working people
  without a disability.

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Idea

• Increasing the employment of individuals with
  disabilities in IT-related jobs would reduce the
  shortage for trained IT workers and increase the
  employment of individuals with disabilities.

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Project Goals

• Identify barriers to and facilitators of the
  hiring, retention, advancement, and wages of
  individuals with disabilities.
• Test strategies to improve hiring, retention,
  advancement and wages of individuals with
  disabilities.
• Provide training and disseminate research
  findings

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Research

• We have developed a model incorporating
  environmental factors, organizational factors,
  attitudinal factors, and individual
  characteristics to predict hiring rate,
  advancement rate, retention rate, and wages of
  individuals with disabilities.
• Based on Harlan Hahns (2000) socio-political
  theory of the integration of individuals with
  disabilities into society

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Research Model
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Environmental Factors

• Accessible transportation
• Accessible housing
• Health care needs
• Economic forces

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Organizational Factors

• Corporate culture
• Accommodations provided
• Availability of assistive and accessible
  technology

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Attitudinal Factors

• Attitudes and experiences of human resource (HR)
  personnel
• Attitudes and experiences of IT trainers
• Attitudes and experiences of co-workers

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Individual Characteristics

• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Education
• Socioeconomic status
• Social support network
• Health status
• Disability
• I.T. experience

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Outcome Variables

• Hiring rate
• Advancement rate
• Retention rate
• Wages
• Hours worked
• Training Effectiveness

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Research Question

• Is the availability of assistive technology in an
  organization related to the advancement of
  individuals with disabilities within the
  organization?

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Research Question

• Are organizations that are aware of issues
  related to the employment of individuals with
  disabilities more successful in hiring,
  retaining, and advancing individuals with
  disabilities?

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Research Question

• Are organizations with senior management who
  individually are aware of the needs of
  individuals with disabilities more successful in
  hiring, retaining, and advancing individuals with
  disabilities?

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Research Question

• Are companies that provide and encourage the use
  of assistive and accessible technology and
  follow-up with appropriate training and
  evaluation more successful in hiring, retaining,
  and advancing individuals with disabilities?

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Research Question

• Are organizations with larger budgets for
  assistive and accessible technology more
  successful in hiring, retaining, and advancing
  individuals with disabilities?

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Research Question

• Are individual differences among individuals with
  disabilities a determining factor regarding the
  hiring, retaining, and advancing of individuals
  with disabilities?

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Research Question

• Are organizations with mentoring/internship
  programs for individuals with disabilities more
  successful at hiring, retaining, and advancing
  individuals with disabilities?

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Methodology

• A five-year longitudinal approach will identify
  trends in these measures over time.
• Case studies, descriptive statistics, and
  multivariate regression analyses will be
  performed on the outcome measures to assess the
  influences of predictor measures, in combination
  and alone

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Methodology

• We will survey and interview
• human resource managers at IT and non-IT
  companies (defined by Information Technology
  Association of America),
• individuals with disabilities working at these
  companies,
• individuals with disabilities who graduated from
  Federally funded IT training and employment
  programs,
• directors of these IT training programs, and
• IT trainers

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Target Audiences

• Training activities will allow for the
  distribution of the research findings to the
  diverse target audiences
• employers
• IT trainers and professionals
• persons with disabilities in diverse employment
  settings
• other researchers
• relevant policymakers
• IT training certification bodies
• human resource managers
• community colleges and university continuing
  education programs

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Target Audiences, cont.

• Centers for Independent Living and other
  disability-related organizations
• Training and dissemination strategies used to
  reach these audiences will include
• trade association and conference breakout
  sessions
• conference presentations
• publications
• webcasts
• audio conferences
• self-paced online distance learning courses
• online listservs

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Current Activities

• Literature Review/Meta-analysis of attitudes
  research
• Annotated bibliography of research on employment
  issues for individuals with a disability
• Compiling a list of online resources
• Survey instrument development
• Links to these items will be available on the
  project web site as they are developed.
• http//www.its.uiowa.edu/law/lhpdc/projects/it_wo
  rks.html