Research Impacts State, National Initiatives
According to Sarah von Schrader, one of the best things about working for Cornell’s Yang-Tan Institute is knowing that the work she’s doing has real-world impact supporting the institute’s mission to advance knowledge, policies and practice to enhance equal opportunities for all people with disabilities.
“I’m glad I can apply my skills to real issues that impact people's lives,” von Schrader said. “Over my career, I have been involved in applied research related to education and health policy, and now at YTI, the focus is on employment and disability. I'm really lucky to be here. And, I’m thankful to work with a very motivated and smart group of people who are really committed to our mission.”
Von Schrader, associate director of research at YTI, came to Cornell in 2009 to work on the New York State's Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, New York Makes Work Pay. It was her introduction to disability and employment. Since then, von Schrader has been an instrumental part of many YTI grants and programs.
“Sarah quickly embraced our mission within a few short months of her joining us,” said Susanne Bruyère, director of YTI. “And, over her decade-long tenure, she has contributed her significant statistical and program evaluation expertise to many dozens of the institute’s projects with implications at state and national levels.”
Nearly all YTI staff work across multiple grants and projects; most of von Schrader’s efforts have focused on employer practices, both in the federal and private sector, related to employing people with disabilities. For example, in 2013, she co-authored an article with Bruyère and Valerie Malzer entitled “Perspectives on Disability Disclosure: The Importance of Employer Practices and Workplace Climate”.
“We were able to do a survey of people with disabilities around their decision to disclose their disability to an employer,” von Schrader said. “I think it was really helpful that we produced that disclosure study a few years before the revised Section 503 regulations went into effect, because employers were able to use the input from people with disabilities to think about practices that could increase self-identification in their workplace.”
The revised regulations around Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 now require contractors to offer applicants and employees the opportunity to self-identify as a person with a disability and to use the data collected to understand their progress toward a seven percent goal for employing individuals with disabilities. Von Schrader noted this as a good example of peer-reviewed research with high relevance to the field, and that many of their findings have been incorporated in practical trainings for employers interested in measuring and increasing disability representation in their workplaces.
In a related project, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, over the last three years, von Schrader and Hassan Enayati looked at the initial impact of the revised Section 503 regulations on employer practices. An employer survey and administrative data from audits of contractors were data sources for the research.
Additionally, over the past 11 years at YTI, von Schrader has worked with secondary data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and with colleagues, conducted research on both disability- and age-related employment discrimination charges. A current project is using a new source of secondary data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Office of Personnel Management to look again at how federal employer practices are related to both macro, such as disability representation in an agency, and micro-level outcomes, such as job satisfaction.
Starting in January 2019, von Schrader’s focus has shifted to new responsibility as co-director of the Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) for Data, created and funded with more than $8 million from 2019 to 2023 by the New York State Education Department Office of Special Education.
Along with co-director, Camille Lee, von Schrader and the TAP for Data team will work with other Technical Assistance Partnerships focused on equity, academics, behavior and transition to provide professional development and resources to 12 Regional Partnership Centers, as well as Family and Community Engagement Centers, which will work directly with districts, schools and other stakeholders as part of the state Office of Special Education Educational Partnership. TAP for Data will also establish and maintain a website and data management system to ensure the Educational Partnership can track and evaluate its efforts and is engaged in data-based decision-making at all levels of implementation.
“It's just in its infancy, but we are making progress,” von Schrader said. “The model of the partnership is a big change in the structure of the professional development network in New York state, but it is based on sound research. Putting the model into practice is a collaborative effort and is challenging, but we are confident that, over time, the work of the partnership will help improve outcomes for student with disabilities, and that is exciting.”