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 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”.
• 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.  

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.