CeKTER Created Products

This brief is part of a series of findings from CeKTER’s systematic scoping review. In this brief, we report on findings about a range of work-related determinants impacting the employment of people with disabilities, including work history, accommodations, and workplace supports. Please note that all comparisons are always about corresponding peers with disabilities.

A systematic scoping review of research published between 2000 and 2020 on employment of people with disabilities, that was funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), was conducted by CeKTER researchers at Boston University.  

A systematic scoping review of research published between 2000 and 2020 on the employment of people with disabilities, that was funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) was conducted by CeKTER researchers. All papers comparing people with disabilities to those without have been excluded from the systematic scoping review. Among over 100 publications reviewed, there was a wide and very disparate array of findings with numerous variables used and varying research questions. This result belies summative findings. There are numerous ways of organizing the disparate findings. This brief is the first in a series of findings from the systematic scoping review. In this brief, we report on findings categorized by the demographic characteristics of education, gender, marital status, race, and age. Please note that all comparisons are always about corresponding peers with disabilities.

A Community of Practice brings together groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. In 2022, the Center on Knowledge Translation for Employment Research (CeKTER) developed of a Community of Practice on "S.M.A.R.T. Social Media for Employment Research Dissemination,” This CoP was developed to respond to NIDILRR disability research grantees who have a collective desire to enhance their social media effectiveness. This CoP continues as of April 2024. Using our experience with the "S.M.A.R.T. Social Media for Employment Research Dissemination" CoP this tip sheet offers others guidance on how to develop and sustain a successful CoP.

Marsha Ellison, Ph.D. at UMass Chan Medical School, and Marianne Farkas, Ph.D. at Boston University presented at the 2023 KTDRR Conference "Tailoring Your Knowledge Translation Strategies for Your Intended Users". Their presentation "Advances in Knowledge Translation: Principles and Practices discusses the background principles and activities of CeKTER and some findings from CeKTER’s comparative effectiveness study to determine the relative reach of differing knowledge dissemination approaches for providers of employment services to people with disabilities and disability employment policymakers.

This presentation describes how researchers at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) are investigating the impact of Long COVID on the lived experiences of people with disabilities in terms of healthcare utilization and employment. The presenters will (1) review current research on Long COVID and identify research gaps; (2) describe prior research conducted by the team on COVID-related issues among people with disabilities and the development of a novel coaching-based intervention to help people with disabilities succeed at work.

Electronic job coaches are an assistive technology that can improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. This video, a collaboration between CeKTER and CreateAbility Concepts, Inc., shares the research history and design effort that went into CreateAbility's product, MeMinder, a tool that can be used as a portable electronic job coach. MeMinder is an assistive technology that makes independence and employment possible for people with disabilities, and gives job coaches and employers advanced, customized tools to support their workers.

Even though the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act strengthens federal and state commitments to employing people with disabilities, there remain millions of Americans with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities (ID) who are still unemployed. To succeed in competitive employment, workers with ID require help with memory, task sequence and planning, and time management; skills that are often referred to as executive functioning.

Electronic job coaches are an assistive technology that can improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. This webinar, a collaboration between CeKTER and CreateAbility Concepts, Inc., shares the research history and design effort that went into CreateAbility's product, MeMinder, a tool that can be used as a portable electronic job coach. MeMinder is an assistive technology that makes independence and employment possible for people with disabilities, and gives job coaches and employers advanced, customized tools to support their workers.

Researcher’s Guide to Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Making MS PowerPoint Presentations Accessible for Screen Readers