BACKGROUND

Unemployment and under-employment of individuals with disabilities occur throughout the U.S. economy. Although the public transportation industry has long recognized the need to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse workforce, individuals with disabilities have not been a focus of that effort. These individuals represent a potential, untapped workforce, especially now, as ridership rates increase and public transportation agencies struggle to fill open positions. People with disabilities are more likely than people without disabilities to rely on public transportation and have lived experiences that can benefit the industry. 

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In 2021, the BLS reported that only 19.1 percent of individuals with a disability were employed, while 63.7 percent of individuals without a disability were employed. Additionally, 29 percent of workers with a disability were employed part-time, compared with 16 percent for those with no disability, reflecting the persistent challenge of under-employment of this population.  
• National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Reports from NHTS have found that people with travel-limiting disabilities were less likely to be employed and more likely to use public transportation.

New practices and innovative strategies are needed to build a robust and inclusive public transportation workforce that has more individuals with disabilities.  A lack of knowledge and guidance on how to accomplish this presents challenges. This research project should (1) capture and present information about effective recruitment, development, and retention policies and strategies, (2) aggregate findings into replicable models, (3) develop and package materials and resources for hiring managers and workforce development professionals, and (4) serve as the foundation for future research. 

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a guide for the public transportation industry to assess and improve policies and practices for recruiting, developing, and retaining individuals with disabilities. The research should identify and examine potential barriers to inclusive workforce development and specify promising practices for removing barriers.

The guide should address: 

• Inclusive workplace culture within organizations that encompasses mission, vision, priorities, policies, procedures, and practices.   
• Outreach and hiring policies, practices, and technologies, including recruitment, screening, and onboarding of individuals with disabilities. 
• Employee development and retention programs that support career advancement for individuals with disabilities.
• Universal workplace design that supports full participation by individuals with disabilities.  
• The value of the lived experience of individuals with disabilities to public transportation organizations and the services they provide.  
• Strategies for building educational and community partnerships for workforce development that expand public transportation industry-related training and career opportunities for people with disabilities.  
• Methods for employers to assess workforce participation and satisfaction of people with disabilities in their organizations.

RESEARCH PLAN

The TCRP is seeking the insights of proposers on how best to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meeting the research objective. Task descriptions are intended to provide a framework for conducting the research.

The research plan will describe appropriate deliverables that include the following (which also represent key project milestones):

• An amplified research plan that responds to comments provided by the project panel at the contractor selection meeting.
• An interim report and panel meeting. The interim report should include the analyses and results of completed tasks, a plan for the remaining tasks, and a detailed outline of the final research product(s). The panel meeting will take place in Washington, DC, after the panel review of the interim report. The interim report and panel meeting should occur after the expenditure of about 40 to 50 percent of the project budget.
• Final deliverables. The final deliverables should include a guide that fully addresses this research project’s objective. 
• A technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” (see Special Note M).
• A slide deck that adheres to World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) open web platform standards and presents the research findings and conclusions that may be used in webinars.  

Note: The research plan may include additional deliverables and additional panel meetings via teleconferences. 

Note: The research plan shall include a schedule for completion of the research that includes 1 month for panel review of the interim report and 3 months for panel review and contractor revision of the final research product(s).

SPECIAL NOTES

A. Proposals should describe how individuals with disabilities are included in this research project. 

B. Proposals should demonstrate knowledge of relevant literature and completed and ongoing research relevant to this research project. 

C. The proposal must be prepared in a manner that promotes accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including those who use assistive technologies. Adobe Systems provides an overview of accessibility for PDF documents and links to guidance for creating accessible documents that meet the requirements of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as well as Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act (Section 508) at this link: https://www.adobe.com/accessibility/pdf.html.

D. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs were revised in May 2023. Please take note of the new and revised text which is highlighted in yellow. 

E. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF file with a maximum file size of 10 MB. The PDF must be formatted for standard 8 ½” X 11” paper, and the entire proposal must not exceed 60 pages (according to the page count displayed in the PDF). Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. For other requirements, refer to chapter V of the instructions.

F. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs have been modified to include a revised policy and instructions for disclosing Investigator Conflict of Interest. For more information, refer to chapter IV of the instructions. A detailed definition and examples can be found in the CRP Conflict of Interest Policy for Contractors. The proposer recommended by the project panel will be required to submit an Investigator Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form as a prerequisite for contract negotiations. 

G. Proposals will be rejected if any of the proposed research team members work for organizations represented on the project panel. The panel roster for this project can be found at https://www.mytrb.org/OnlineDirectory/Committee/Details/7019 . Proposers may not contact panel members directly; this roster is provided solely for the purpose of avoiding potential conflicts of interest. 

H. Proprietary Products - If any proprietary products are to be used or tested in the project, please refer to Item 6 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals.

I. Proposals are evaluated by the TCRP staff and project panels consisting of individuals collectively knowledgeable in the problem area. The project panel will recommend their first choice proposal considering the following factors: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experiment design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the plan for ensuring application of results; (5) how the proposer approaches inclusion and diversity in the composition of their team and research approach, including participation by certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises; and, if relevant, (6) the adequacy of the facilities. A recommendation by the project panel is not a guarantee of a contract. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS - the contracting authority for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) will conduct an internal due diligence review and risk assessment of the panel’s recommended proposal before contract negotiations continue. 

Note: The proposer's approach to inclusion and diversity as well as participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises should be incorporated in Item 11 of the proposal.

J. Copyrights - All data, written materials, computer software, graphic and photographic images, and other information prepared under the contract and the copyrights therein shall be owned by the National Academy of Sciences. The contractor and subcontractors will be able to publish this material for non-commercial purposes, for internal use, or to further academic research or studies with permission from TRB Cooperative Research Programs. The contractor and subcontractors will not be allowed to sell the project material without prior approval by the National Academy of Sciences. By signing a contract with the National Academy of Sciences, contractors accept legal responsibility for any copyright infringement that may exist in work done for TRB. Contractors are therefore responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for use of copyrighted material in TRB's Cooperative Research Programs publications. For guidance on TRB's policies on using copyrighted material please consult Section 5.4, "Use of Copyrighted Material," in the Procedural Manual for Contractors.

K. The text of the final deliverable is expected to be publication ready when it is submitted. It is strongly recommended that the research team include the expertise of a technical editor as early in the project timeline as possible. See Appendix F of the Procedural Manual for Contractors Conducting Research in the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Program for technical editing standards expected in final deliverables.

L. Proposals should include a task-by-task breakdown of labor hours for each staff member as shown in Figure 4 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals. Proposals also should include a breakdown of all costs (e.g., wages, indirect costs, travel, materials, and total) for each task using Figures 5 and 6 in the brochure. Please note that TRB Cooperative Research Program subawards (selected proposers are considered subawards to the National Academy of Sciences, the parent organization of TRB) must comply with 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. These requirements include a provision that proposers without a "federally" Negotiated Indirect Costs Rate Agreement (NICRA) shall be subject to a maximum allowable indirect rate of 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs. Modified Total Direct Costs include all salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each lower tier subaward and subcontract. Modified Total Direct Costs exclude equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each lower tier subaward and subcontract in excess of $25,000.

M. The required technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” should (a) provide recommendations on how to best put the research findings/products into practice; (b) identify possible institutions that might take leadership in applying the research findings/products; (c) identify issues affecting potential implementation of the findings/products and recommend possible actions to address these issues; and (d) recommend methods of identifying and measuring the impacts associated with implementation of the findings/products. Implementation of these recommendations is not part of the research project and, if warranted, details of these actions will be developed and implemented in future efforts.

N. If the team proposes a Principal Investigator who is not an employee of the Prime Contractor, or if the Prime Contractor is proposed to conduct less than 50% of the total effort (by time or budget), then section five of the proposal should include: (1) a justification of why this approach is appropriate, and (2) a description of how the Prime Contractor will ensure adequate communication and coordination with their Subcontractors throughout the project.

O. All budget information should be suitable for printing on 8½″ x 11″ paper. If a budget page cannot fit on a single 8½″ x 11″ page, it should be split over multiple pages. Proposers must use the Excel templates provided in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs. 

P. The National Academies have an ethical and legal obligation to provide proper attribution whenever material from other sources is included in its reports, online postings, and other publications and products. TRB will review all Cooperative Research Programs draft final deliverables using the software iThenticate for potential plagiarism. If plagiarized text appears in the draft final deliverable, the research team will be required to make revisions and the opportunity to submit future proposals may be affected.