An Investigation of the Efficacy of Business and Rehabilitation Partnerships for Promoting Employment of Persons With Significant Disabilities

Abstract

This study describes and examines a business-rehabilitation partnership model designed to promote rapid entry in the workplace, increased earnings, and employment duration for individuals with significant disabilities referred for employment services from community rehabilitation providers. Six geographically dispersed implementation sites enrolled 222 unemployed individuals into the study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following experimental conditions: (a) employment services from the business-rehabilitation partnership model or (b) an active treatment control group. Although partnership group participants reported higher earnings, the differences were not significant. The challenges and benefits with conducting public-private partnership intervention research are discussed.