BACKGROUND: Effective employer engagement strategies are critical to the provision of high quality employment supports for individuals with disabilities. There is a gap in both relevant research and knowledge surrounding these strategies. This article describes the knowledge translation (KT) activities of the Diversity Partners Project, which are designed to promote and contextualize a set of promising employer engagement practices to improve outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: KT is an emerging area of study in the field of disability and employment. This article explores the role of capacity building in a knowledge translation intervention for employment service providers. CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing efforts on the Diversity Partners Project have involved KT principles as an integral part of the process. The target audience of the intervention has been actively engaged in the process from development to implementation to evaluation. Overall, frontline staff have been receptive and even eager for the on-demand, business-focused tools made available to them on the website, though broad adoption has been hindered by a number of factors.

Abstract. BACKGROUND:Fragmented employment service systems, a lack of information about disability across sectors, and a wide disconnect between the efforts to employ people with disabilities and the needs of the business community, have presented barriers to the adoption of best practices and effective implementation of new policies designed to improve the employment rate of people with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the Diversity Partners Project is to develop, test, and launch an innovative learning intervention to improve the relationships between employment service professionals (including disability services, workforce development and staffing organizations) and employers seeking to hire individuals with disabilities. This paper illustrates how a systematic approach to knowledge translation (KT) was used in an iterative intervention development process that engaged key stakeholders at every phase. CONCLUSION: In the disability arena, KT requires a willingness to challenge strongly held assumptions on the part of the project team, to move swiftly and repeatedly between inquiry and development, and to honestly engage with potential stakeholders who have a vested interest in the development efforts being undertaken.

BACKGROUND: New rules for Rehabilitation Act Section 503 have recently taken effect which could potentially have a significant impact on the employment of people with disabilities. Because the Section 503 new rules cover employers who are federal contractors, the supports and resources around the new rules are mainly directed toward this audience. Yet, these new rules could also have significant impacts on employment service providers (ESPs) who work with individuals with disabilities, offering new opportunities for them to build partnerships, expand services, and create talent pipelines. With the new rules recently taking effect, ESPs have a short window of time to be ready; businesses and employers are now actively seeking to connect with ESP agencies. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to enable ESPs to prepare for the implementation of the new Section 503 rules by considering how they partner with employers, work with service recipients or, in some cases, function as employers themselves. METHODS: First, we provide a brief overview, focusing on what gave rise to the new rules and how they could impact the work of ESPs. Second, we take a deeper look at some questions and challenges ESPs could have around the new Section 503 rules. Third, we focus on specific ways ESPs can prepare for the new rules and include a checklist for assessing the readiness of ESP organizations or practitioners. Finally, we describe resources for ESPs around implementation of the new Section 503 rules. CONCLUSION: ESPs play a key role in the implementation, effectiveness and outcome of the new regulations. In preparing to play this role, ESPs need to consider their values, messaging, work with service recipients, and outreach to employers. Some ESPs who are covered under the new rules need to assess their own employment practices for compliance.

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