Policy Development for Advocates

Abstract

Calls for cross-disciplinary dialogue and greater coherence in disability policies have produced limited understanding of disability policy making. Most scholars focus on what should be done but give scant consideration to how the dynamics of the policy making process constrain substantive options. The authors argue that failing to consider the environment of the policy making processes on program design and advocacy hinders understanding about policy and development of practical initiatives. This article describes the dynamics of policy making through a case study of the Job Accommodation Network, which provides an example of path dependence and the infilling of policy spaces and exemplifies how later arriving, modest initiatives and influential advocates can target narrower niches, seek to improve collaboration, and create better linkages between stakeholders in their efforts to expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The analysis has implications for advocates and practitioners by demonstrating how policy programs evolve, shape, and adapt to new policy initiatives.