Knowledge Translation (KT) Consortium
The Knowledge Translation (KT) Consortium brings together federally funded Training and Technical Assistance Centers, each with their own unique mission addressing different aspects of employment, career readiness and development, transition and accessibility for youth and adults with disabilities. Knowledge Translation (KT) Consortium members come together to 1) meet and interact, 2) share information on each Center’s focus, funding and use of KT tools, and 3) develop a framework for sharing resources and training opportunities to collectively improve employment and economic advancement outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
If you are a Federally funded Training and Technical Assistance Center focused on Employment for people with disabilities and would like to join the Knowledge Translation Consortium, please contact us at: info@leadcenter.org(link sends e-mail).
ADA National Network(link is external)
The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on how to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to support the mission of the ADA to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”
Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the network consists of 10 Regional ADA Centers located throughout the United States and an ADA Knowledge Translation Center (ADAKTC).
Each Regional ADA Center focuses on its region’s unique needs. This regional focus is critical to ensuring that ADA National Network services meet the needs of a diversity of populations and stakeholders throughout the country.
American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC)(link is external)
Operated by Northern Arizona University
The AIVRTTAC provides three different types of culturally appropriate training and TA to AIVRS Programs to improve their overall program performance and successful consumer employment outcomes. On the AIVRTTAC website: www.aivrttac.org(link is external), products and tools, Facebook page, e-learning modules, and other resources are available for the AIVRS Programs and disability-related agencies.
Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE – Youth)(link is external)
Operated by Council of State Governments
The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) was created by the United States Department of Labor in 2019. The Center seeks to improve employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities by helping states build capacity in their youth service delivery and workforce systems. The center conducts research, develops strategic partnerships and systems coordination, shares best practices, and helps states identify opportunities to expand career pathways, work-based learning, and professional development for youth and young adults with disabilities.
Center on Knowledge Transition for Employment Research (KTER)(link is external)
Operated by the American Institutes for Research
The purpose of the KTER Center is to: (1) determine what needs for research-based information are most pressing for stakeholders engaged in the vocational rehabilitation system, such as individuals with disabilities and their families, vocational rehabilitation practitioners, and business community; (2) identify research related to improving employment outcomes a) among adults with autism, b) transition-aged youth with disabilities, and c) employees with disabilities at businesses that work with business consultants on-staff in vocational rehabilitation agencies; and (3) work with partners at the Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and other leading researchers in the field, to test a knowledge translation strategy focused promoting the uptake of research by VR supervisors, the staff they supervise, and VR business consultants. The project also promotes collaboration among the disability employment researchers NIDILRR funds, and provides technical assistance to support their knowledge translation activities.
Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN)(link is external)
Operated by the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability
The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) is a no cost resource that helps employers tap the benefits of disability diversity by educating public- and private-sector organizations on ways to build inclusive workplace cultures. EARN offers information and resources to empower individuals and organizations to become leaders in the employment and advancement of people with disabilities. EARN assists employers through online support and a range of education and outreach activities.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)(link is external)
Operated by West Virginia University
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential technical assistance on workplace accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related legislation, and self-employment options for people with disabilities. JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace. JAN is funded by a contract from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (#1605DC-17-C-0038).
Knowledge Translation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (KTDRR) Center(link is external)
Operated by the American Institutes for Research
The Center on KTDRR serves as a primary knowledge translation (KT) resource for NIDILRR-funded researchers, developers, and other KT centers. KTDRR provides an array of training, dissemination, utilization, and technical assistance activities, including supports for the production of high quality systematic reviews and research syntheses; training and assistance to help NIDILRR grantees meet the challenges of evidence standards; training and assistance addressing KT planning; establishment of an Expert Review Panel to provide guidance in ensuring that knowledge products and KT strategies are relevant and accessible to knowledge users; and facilitation of collaboration among NIDILRR grantees, through communities of practice, webcast series and an annual online-only KT conference.
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (AEM Center)(link is external)
Operated by CAST
Operated by CAST, the AEM Center builds the capacity of state education agencies to coordinate with workforce development agencies, higher ed institutions, and early learning programs to develop and sustain statewide systems for the provision of accessible materials and technologies for students and job seekers with disabilities. The AEM Center’s training and technical assistance activities are funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center)
Operated by Social Policy Research Associates and the National Disability Institute
As a WIOA policy development center for people with disabilities who are being served through the nation’s workforce development system, the LEAD Center promotes innovation in policy, employment, and economic advancement to support individual and systems level change for all people with disabilities.
National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC)(link is external)
Operated by HeiTech Services, Inc.
NARIC is a library and information center focusing on disability and rehabilitation research. NARIC’s literature and data collections support people with disabilities, practitioners, researchers, and advocates in discovering emerging interventions, technology, and supports for inclusive employment, health, and community participation. Core collections include all NIDILRR-sponsored publications and products.
National Resources for Advocacy, Independence, Self-determination and Employment (RAISE) Technical Assistance Center(link is external)
The mission of the RAISE project is to enhance the effectiveness and increase the capacity of the Parent Centers to work with youth and young adults with disabilities and their families to access and benefit from transitions services and supports and to partner with state and local agencies to improve transition systems and services. The RAISE project seeks to achieve this mission through building the capacity of the Regional Rehabilitative Service Administration’s funded Parent Training and information Centers (RSA-PTIs). RAISE’s purpose is to assist individuals with disabilities and their families in achieving their employment and independent living goals.
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)(link is external)
Operated by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
NTACT’s purpose is to assist State Education Agencies, Local Education Agencies, State VR agencies, and VR service providers to implement evidence-based and promising practices ensuring students with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities, graduate prepared for success in postsecondary education and employment.
Northeast & Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC)(link is external)
Operated by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, providing training, technical assistance, and resource dissemination to support and enhance the mental health workforce. The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC is located at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Health Professions, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the MHTTC works with organizations and practitioners who provide mental health services to strengthen their capacity to deliver effective, evidence-based interventions.
Older Individuals who are Blind Training and Technical Assistance Center (OIBTTAC)(link is external)
Operated by the National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University
The National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) implements training and technical assistance projects focused on agencies serving older individuals who are blind (OIB). This project is funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), which focuses on enhancing employment and independent living outcomes for individuals who are blind or visually impaired through research, training, education and dissemination.
Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT)(link is external)
Managed by Federal Contractors at Wheelhouse Group
The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) works to foster collaborations that make emerging technologies accessible. To support workplaces in using inclusive technologies that engage the skills of employees with disabilities. To build a future that works. PEAT is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities(link is external)
Operated by the University of Massachusetts – Boston
The main goal of the Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disability is to identify strategic approaches to different liaisons to understand the importance of Employment First. This training center conducts research, training, and outreach activities that promote employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities There are four activities that RRTC supports:(1) Choosing Work: Effective Knowledge Translation and Support for Individuals and Families; (2) Increasing the Effectiveness of Employment Consultants; (3) Building Capacity and Supporting Organizational Transformation for Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs); and (4) Policies and Practices of High-Performing State Employment Systems.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement(link is external)
Operated by the University of New Hampshire
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC) provides support to the disability and policy communities to tackle important policy issues. The center provides insightful knowledge about disability employment policy and an understanding of the labor market experiences of people with disabilities. The center partners with the Association of University Centers of Disabilities, Mathematica Policy Research, and the Kessler Foundation on a scope of work that includes 11 research projects and 12 knowledge translation projects with a wide variety of technical assistance, dissemination of resources, and training.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities(link is external)
Operated by the Trustees of Boston University
The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, with its network of collaborators, will conduct a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Improving Employment Outcomes for People with Psychiatric Disabilities.
The goal is to conduct a coordinated program of research and knowledge translation projects and activities that build on the existing evidence-based supported employment and improve employment outcomes for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center for Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance (PEQATAC)(link is external)
Operated by University of Wisconsin-Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute (SVRI)
The Technical Assistance Center for Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance (PEQA) assists State VR agencies in building capacity through professional education and training of VR evaluators.
Research and Training Center (RTC) for Pathways to Positive Futures(link is external)
Operated by Portland State University
The RTC for Pathways to Positive Futures aims to improve the lives of youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions through rigorous research and effective training and dissemination. Their work is guided by the perspectives of young people and their families, and based in a positive development framework.
Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC) on Employer Practices Leading to Successful Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities(link is external)
Operated by Virginia Commonwealth University
The Virginia Commonwealth University RRTC provides resources for employers, professionals, individuals with disabilities, and their representatives. RRTC research is committed to developing and advancing evidence-based practices to increase the hiring, advancement and retention for individuals with disabilities. VCU has three employment RRTC’s and a DRRP all providing Knowledge Translation work with a major focus in the area of (1) Employment for Individuals with IDD, (2) Employer Practices for Individuals with Disabilities, (3) Employment for Transition Aged Youth, (4) Customized Employment, (6) Post-Secondary Education, (7) Autism, and (8) Social Security Policy.
VCU WIPA National Training and Data Center (link is external)– The VCU NTC provides training and assistance to Certified Work Incentives Coordinators and Community Partner Work Incentives Counselors who provide services to individuals on the SSA disability rolls seeking employment. They also provide training and TA to the Ticket to Work Help Line.
Research on Disability(link is external)
Operated University of New Hampshire
Research on Disability is a collective of various Centers focused on Disability statistics, demographics and policy measurement.
- Rehabilitation and Research Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)(link is external) – StatsRRTC aims to improve knowledge about and access to existing data and generates the knowledge needed to improve future disability data collection and dissemination. The StatsRRTC aims to foster evidence-based decision making by people with disabilities and their families, advocates, policymakers, program administrators, service providers and researchers.
- Rehabilitation and Research Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC)(link is external) – The EPM-RRTC researches federal and state policies and programs on employment, paying particular attention to the effects of program interactions between the Social Security Administration, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Education; examines new ways of measuring employment outcomes; and provides guidance through the translation of research findings to program and policy decision-makers.
Ticket To Work Program Managers (TPM)(link is external)
Operated by MAXIMUS
Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits because of his or her disability. The goal of this free and voluntary program is to help people with disabilities move toward financial independence through work. The Ticket Program connects beneficiaries with free employment services to help them decide if working is right for them, prepare for work, search for a job or maintain success while working. Participants can receive services such as career counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and job search assistance and training from authorized Ticket Program service providers, such as Employment Networks (EN) or State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies.
Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center on Quality Employment (VRTAC-QE)(link is external)
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education
The VRTAC-QE program will increase the number and quality of employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities through training and technical assistance to State VR agency personnel. The VRTAC-QE will also support State VR agency personnel to implement innovative and effective employment strategies and supporting practices.
Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center – Targeted Communities (VRTAC–TC)(link is external)
Operated by Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies
The Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center – Targeted Communities (VR-TAC–TC): Educate, Empower, and Employ (E3) is designed to improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) outcomes of persons with disabilities from traditionally marginalized communities. The center provides Intensive Technical Assistance (ITA) to 24 Targeted Communities in 12 state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies their partners (Community Rehabilitation Programs and Community Based Organizations). Targeted and Universal Technical Assistance are provided to all 80 State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and their partners across the U.S. and its territories.
Vocational Rehabilitation Youth Technical Assistance Center (Y-TAC)(link is external)
Operated by Institute for Educational Leadership
The Vocational Rehabilitation Youth Technical Assistance Center (Y-TAC) provides state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs and related rehabilitation professionals with technical assistance and training to help more effectively serve youth with disabilities. The VR Y-TAC assists state VR agencies with building their capacity to: 1) increase the number of youth with disabilities served; 2) increase the number of youth with disabilities served who pursue and obtain postsecondary education or training resulting in a postsecondary degree, credential, or nationally recognized occupational skills certificate; and 3) increase the number of youth with disabilities served who obtain competitive integrated employment. Y-TAC has a particular focus on ensuring needs are met for youth with disabilities who are not in school or employed, who are systems-involved (i.e., engaged in systems, such as juvenile justice, child welfare, homeless and runaway); and who are blind or visually impaired.
Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)(link is external)
Operated by Interwork Institute at San Diego State University
The Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) is a national center that provides training and technical assistance (TA) to state Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (SVRAs) and related rehabilitation professionals and service providers to help them develop the skills and processes needed to meet the requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Topic Areas of focus include:
- Pre-employment Transition Services
- Implementation of Section 511 Requirements
- Resources and Strategies for Competitive Integrated Employment
- Integration of VR into the Workforce Development System
- Transition to the Common Performance Accountability System
- Business Engagement and Employer Supports
- The Career Index Plus – Labor Market Information
- Apprenticeships and Customized Training
YES! Youth Employment Solutions Center(link is external)
The YES! Center is a national Training and Technical Assistance Center that serves as a central source of information, expertise and comprehensive support for the Partnerships in Employment (PIE) state projects. The YES! Center works closely with PIE states to develop customized plans for each state to ensure improved employment outcomes, working toward the goal to improve competitive, integrated employment outcomes for transition-aged youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
The YES! Center is run by TASH(link is external), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and leader in disability advocacy.