John Shepard
John Shepard is a Data Analyst at the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston. He works on various projects related to tracking national and state-level employment trends, and monitoring and improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities. He is responsible for creating and managing databases, analyzing datasets for intervention research projects, recruiting and tracking participants, and secondary data analysis of large datasets. His current work includes tracking and analyzing employment outcomes for people with disabilities in both Massachusetts and Maryland, and analyzing state and national employment outcomes and demographics.
Employment and Economic Outcomes by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender for Individuals With and Without Disabilities, 2017
Data Note: Employment Rates for People With and Without Disabilities
Data show that people with disabilities are consistently less likely to be working than their non-disabled counterparts. In this Data Note, the employment rate for working-age people is compared across disability types, as well as those without disabilities.
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StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes Through 2016
Download the report here. Access the latest information about employment and economic self-sufficiency for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Both national and state-level statistics are included.
Lessons Learned from the Learning Academy: Optimizing Transition Supports for Young Adults with Autism
The Learning Academy (TLA) at the University of South Florida is a 30-week transition program for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between the ages of 18 and 25. The program provides services, supports, and experiential opportunities, with the aim of enhancing skills that will prepare students to succeed in the workplace and postsecondary education settings.
StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes
Beyond Training: Engaging Families in the Transition to Employment
Read the brief here. We conducted an extended search of trainings provided by state agencies and service providers that are targeted towards families. Trainings in the form of written material (handbooks, brochures and computer-based courses) or given in person by service professionals, peers and others have been found to raise expectations that family members with IDD can become employed in their communities.