Welcome to our March 2026 newsletter!
Bringing you disability-related research, policy, events, training, consultation, and more.
March 2026 Highlights
Kaitlyn Jackson, extension associate at the Yang-Tan Institute (YTI), introduces this month’s theme.
The theme of this month’s newsletter is developmental disabilities as March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM). I went to undergrad to be a social studies teacher, so I like to know the history of events and policies I’m interacting with. In 1987 President Reagan proclaimed March as DDAM to provide the “encouragement and opportunities [people with developmental disabilities] need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.”
People with developmental disabilities still face significant barriers related to employment. Projects at YTI like the Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment program evaluation in New York state and the Autism Transition to Adulthood Initiative, as well as the new Navigating Pathways to STEM Careers grant discussed below, do important work to unpack the specific barriers people with developmental disabilities face to accessing competitive integrated employment.
My pledge this DDAM is to submit my dissertation – which focuses on the role of work-based learning for youth with developmental disabilities in their transition to employment – for publication. What’s yours?
Improving Interviews for Autistic Jobseekers
Autistic people are not employed at the same rate as their non-Autistic peers, and researchers at the Yang-Tan Institute (YTI) believe that part of the problem is the traditional interview process. Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, which has been recently reinstated, the researchers will be investigating the experiences of Autistic jobseekers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Hiring with EARN's Disability@Work Framework
Advanced by the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN) at YTI, the Disability@Work Framework offers employers practical strategies for strengthening recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities, including people with developmental disabilities. Many employers want to broaden their recruitment efforts yet report uncertainty about where to find job candidates. Through EARN, YTI staff have developed resources and tools that outline clear steps employers can take to connect with local community organizations to recruit and hire these workers. To learn more, visit Community Partnerships: An Effective Disability Employment Strategy on the EARN website.
Person-Centered Planning is About Strengths
There’s more to me than just a label,” says BJ Stasio, a disability advocate who has a developmental disability. “My disability does not define me and nor should any person’s circumstances, no matter what it is, no matter what system you’re in.” Stasio is featured in a YTI video about person-centered planning, a planning style that centers a person’s strengths and interests, leaving aside any systems or labels around them. Led by the person with a disability, this approach identifies services and supports the person may need and helps them work toward their own goals for a positive future. The video is part of YTI’s Y-Reconnects Videos library. You can view the Person-Centered Planning video and its companion Person-Centered Planning fact sheet for practical advice on how to use person-centered planning.
Statistics about Developmental Disabilities
DisabilityStatistics.org is a rich source of disability data – including prevalence, employment, and earnings data – with options to view data by geography, age, disability type, and more. The site, run by the Northeast ADA Center at YTI, currently draws data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). This survey identifies disability with six questions, but it does not ask about age of disability onset, so it cannot directly give statistics about developmental disabilities.
We can, however, use DisabilityStatistics.org to explore disabilities that may include a developmental disability. An example is a cognitive disability, which the ACS defines as “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.”
YTI Executive Director Wendy Strobel Gower explains, “Cognitive disabilities can happen at any time in the lifespan – they include an intellectual disability that someone may be born with, and cognitive declines that may happen later in life. While cognitive disability and developmental disabilities are not the same, they sometimes overlap. Keep in mind that you should never assume that there is an overlap. For example, some people with cerebral palsy (who have a developmental disability) also have cognitive disabilities.”
In addition, professional researchers can learn more through the site’s Dataset Directory, which rounds up other data sources. To begin, type developmental disabilities in the Search field and click Submit.
Upcoming Events
Leading Veterans: Practical Strategies for Supporting Mental Health at Work
April 15, 2026, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Free webinar from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN)
Join EARN for a free, practical webinar designed to help employers strengthen management practices to support veterans’ mental health and overall work performance. This session will provide actionable guidance that helps employers meet compliance requirements, foster leadership, and achieve positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations.
Tales from the TA Line
May 5, 2026, 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Free webinar from the Northeast ADA Center
Join the Northeast ADA Center’s technical assistance team to learn about commonly asked questions and tricky technical assistance requests they have received over the years. This webinar will feature a variety of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues on topics from employment, to service animals, education, effective communication, accessible websites, and more. The team will share specific cases, the questions asked, and how the team responded. It’s an opportunity to learn how to think through situations where the ADA is involved.
30,000+ New Places on DisabilityStatistics.org: Live Demo
May 11, 2026, 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
Free webinar from the Northeast ADA Center
A project of the Northeast ADA Center, the DisabilityStatistics.org website is a free source of disability-related statistics and estimates. This session showcases new features in the 2026 site update and explains how to use them to create compelling content for use in your own presentations, documents, and other materials.
Register for DisabilityStatistics.org webinar
YTIOnline & eCornell
Get credentials and education in disability employment at YTIOnline or advance your knowledge about disability at work as an HR professional with eCornell courses
Disability Workforce Development Center (DWDC)
DWDC provides professional development to practitioners supporting individuals with disabilities seeking competitive integrated employment.
Next Webinar:
Supported Employment Strategies for Maximizing Competitive Integrated Employment for those with Most Significant Disabilities
April 14, 2026 | 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST | $50 | CRC credits
Work Incentive Support Center (WISC)
WISC provides training to benefits planners about government disability benefits and work incentives.
Next Webinar:
Subsidies and Special Conditions: The Benefits of Lower Productivity
April 21, 2026 | 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST | $20 | WIP continuing education units
eCornell Offerings for HR Professionals
Disability at Work and Neurodiversity at Work are two eCornell courses created by YTI Academic Director Susanne Bruyère. You can take these online courses independently or as part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for HR Cornell Certificate Program.
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Header image credit: Ryan Young / Cornell University