ADA National Network Research
Each of the 10 regional ADA Centers conducts research on various aspects of ADA implementation, employment, community integration, and other disability issues. Visit the ADA National Network to connect to other regional ADA Centers and learn more about their research projects.
Mid-Atlantic ADA Center Research
Mid-Atlantic ADA Center research projects are conducted in collaboration with the University of Maryland, College Park.
2021 - 2026: Disability, Race, and the ADA: Connecting People to Their Rights
This project conducted focus groups to explore the ways Black people with disabilities find information about the ADA and engage in efforts to assert their rights under the law.
This brief outlines focus group findings and offers recommendations to address multiple marginalization:
Black People with Disabilities and Their Rights Under the ADA: A Summary of Research Findings
This brief features more detail about the study and highlights focus group participants’ comments:
Research Brief: Voices of Black People with Disabilities and Their Rights under the ADA
NEW! Check out our new resources on race, disability, and intersectionality:
- BIPOC Disability History Timeline: Disability History Through the Activism of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Communities
- Intersectionality of Race and Disability: Scholarly Research Library
- Black and Disabled: Resources and Organizations
View the archived sessions from our 2025 webinar series, The Human Experience of Black People with Disabilities and Their Rights Under the ADA:
2021 - 2026: Aging, Disability, and Work: Sustaining Jobs, Improving Lives, A Multi-Phase Study
How can we better support workers with disabilities aged 50 and older in understanding and using the ADA? Our recent research study uncovered effective strategies, best practices, and outreach methods to expand awareness and improve support for this group. Through focus groups we gained valuable insights into their needs and challenges.
Learn more about this study in our article published in the Journal of Rehabilitation: Workplace Accommodations for Older Workers with Disabilities: An Analysis and Comparison of Recruitment Methods
2016 - 2021: ADA Compliance: An Exploration of Barriers and How Individuals Gain Information on the ADA
This project conducted focus groups with youth with disabilities and older adults with disabilities, in order to identify barriers to ADA compliance encountered by these groups, particularly in relation to employment and community participation. Read more about the research and findings in these articles and reports:
Brief: Older People with Disabilities: Challenges and Practical Recommendations
Article published in Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education Volume 37, Number 3, 2023: Aging and Disability: An Exploration and Barriers and Facilitators to Community Living
Article published in Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education Volume 35, Number 2, 2021: The Road to Work: Youth with Disabilities and Their Views on Employment and the ADA
2016 - 2021: Local Government Implementation of the ADA: An Exploration of Activities and Factors Affecting Statutory Compliance
This study analyzed implementation and compliance issues to inform the development of training and resource materials, fact sheets, and technical assistance activities.
ADA Title II Compliance Survey of County-Level Jurisdictions: Mid-Atlantic Region (printer-friendly)
ADA Title II Compliance Survey of County-Level Jurisdictions: Mid-Atlantic Region
Title II Implementation in the Mid-Atlantic Region: 2010 – 2015 Case Law Review (printer-friendly)
Title II Implementation in the Mid-Atlantic Region: 2010 – 2015 Case Law Review
2016 - 2021: Employer Survey
Together with C5 Consulting, LLC, we conducted a survey of employers in the Mid-Atlantic region to find out more about their practices and their needs related to recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and retaining qualified workers with disabilities:
Speed Data: Employer Survey on Disability Inclusion (printer-friendly)
Speed Data: Employer Survey on Disability Inclusion
We continue to develop training and materials to respond to employers’ needs. Employers can also find resources on inclusive employment practices on our employers’ page.
2001 - 2016: Employment and Reasonable Accommodation
The goal of the research was to develop a model depicting individual, organizational, and environmental factors affecting the provision of reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. The research activities included a comprehensive literature review, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and a preliminary test of the proposed model designed to benefit both employers and individuals with disabilities in their awareness, knowledge and understanding of reasonable accommodation in the workplace.
The comprehensive Annotated Bibliography of Reasonable Accommodation Literature includes brief descriptions of a wide range of research projects.
Employers’ Top 10 Factors Contributing to Successful Reasonable Accommodation Outcomes