YTI Newsletter - October 2026

During military service, a veteran may have acquired a disability, whether visible or not, that can impact them when looking for a job and in the workplace. If you have questions about hiring, supervising, or coaching a veteran, check out the Disabled Veterans web page from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN). It provides an FAQ of common questions and answers, and a wealth of resources about recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing veterans. (EARN is a technical assistance center of the U.S. Department of Labor hosted at YTI).

Treats and repetition train service dogs for the Warrior Canine Connection, and this video shows how a dog trainee learns to complete tasks for a veteran who has disabilities, including reducing stress and retrieving fallen objects. You’ll also learn about “puppy parents” who provide a home and basic training for service dogs – are you a future puppy parent? The video is part the Northeast ADA Center’s animated school series, which introduces elementary school students to several aspects of disability. (YTI created the video for the Northeast ADA Center.)

A holistic focus on the work life of individuals with disabilities has been the career theme of LaWanda Cook, YTI senior extension associate. She has expanded scholarship in areas such as recreation and caregiving, and explored how disability intersects with other social identities along several dimensions. As an instructor, she has taught the Intersectional Disability Studies course to Cornell students and provided training and guidance to thousands of people through grant-funded and state-funded projects, including the Northeast ADA Center and Y-Reconnects.

Before Cook’s retirement last month, she found time to answer a few questions about her career and legacy.

In September 2026, the U.S. labor force participation rate for people with disabilities ages 16 and older was 24.7%, versus 67.5% for people without disabilities in the same age group. Historically, people with disabilities – especially those with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) – have been excluded from the competitive labor market. A common approach to this problem in the 20th century was to employ people with significant disabilities in segregated training facilities often referred to as “sheltered workshops.”

Due to provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act, most employees in sheltered workshops earn a subminimum wage. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (and supported by an analysis of workers in New York by researchers at YTI), the median wage for an employee with a disability in a sheltered workshop is estimated to be around $3.50 an hour. 

YTI has begun its 31st year hosting the Northeast ADA Center, after being awarded its seventh cycle of funding as one of ten ADA centers around the country. The Northeast ADA Center provides guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) within New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. As part of this grant cycle, researchers at the center will investigate how workplace mental health programs can be more accessible.

Small business owners or managers with questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can find answers on the website Small Business at Work: Understanding the ADA and your business. Based on two research studies conducted by YTI for the Northeast ADA Center, the site covers customer service and employment.

“This website offers practical tools for small business as they implement the ADA,” says Wendy Strobel Gower, executive director of YTI and director of the Northeast ADA Center. “We are proud to support the efforts of small business to welcome community members with disabilities, both as customers and employees.”