Research Activities

The New England ADA Center is one of ten regional Centers comprised of the ADA National Network. The Centers are a nation-wide infrastructure that supports voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each Center is responsible for technical assistance, training, public awareness, and dissemination of Federally approved materials on the ADA.

The New England ADA Center also has a research agenda to improve education and employment outcomes for people with disabilities. To meet this agenda, we partner with the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

We have four on-going research activities:

Research Activity 1

New England ADA Center Unveils New Findings on Community Colleges and Students with Disabilities

President Obama's strategy to increase degree attainment will require increased graduation by community college students, many of whom have disabilities, according to a new study by the DBTAC-New England ADA Center and Northeastern University economists Neeta P. Fogg and Paul E. Harrington published in the Fall 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Higher Education.

Fogg and Harrington's article Paternalism to Self-Advocacy notes: "In high school, students with disabilities are in a protected environment compliant with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) legislation, where their disabilities are diagnosed, IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) are designed and services specific to their disabilities are provided. In college, the responsibility for disclosing disabilities and seeking services falls squarely on the student."

"Community colleges are in the business of serving large numbers of students with a variety of disabilities, but their knowledge of these students--who they are or even how many of them are enrolled--is often quite limited," write the Northeastern economists.

Read the latest research findings 'From Paternalism to Self Advocacy: Obama's community college graduation strategy and students with disabilities' (Available as a PDF or Microsoft Word document.)

• From Paternalism to Self Advocacy(PDF)
• From Paternalism to Self Advocacy(Word)

Tracking students with disabilities from high school through college to determine factors shaping their success in post-secondary education.

Detailed information: Research Activity #1

Research Activity #2

Through an analysis of databases, create systematic method for targeting growing jobs and employers (by names and addresses) and matching them with local college programs graduating students with disabilities who can fill those jobs. This is a promising practice research design contributing to the state of the art that can be replicated, culminating in producing and disseminating a “Guide to New England Jobs” for individuals with disabilities.

(Detailed information about Research Activity 2 coming soon)

Research Activity #3

An analysis of individuals with disabilities holding a bachelors or higher in the college labor market in New England and nationally.

(Detailed information about Research Activity 3 coming soon.)

In the meantime, you may read the latest research in the Center For Labor Market Studies’ From Labor Shortage to Labor Surplus: The Changing Labor Market Context and its Meaning for Higher Education. (Available as a PDF or Microsoft Word document.)

• From Labor Shortage to Labor Surplus (PDF)
• From Labor Shortage to Labor Surplus (Word)

Research Activity 4

A publication of The New England Labor Market and People with Disabilities, with a special topic section in the first publication focusing on the older workforce in New England in relation to workers with disabilities.

(Detailed information about Research Activity 4 coming soon)