PULLMAN, Wash. – While 12 percent of the U.S. population has some kind of disability (National Science Foundation, 2011), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics show nearly 3.5 million are disabled veterans. Because the identity and status of being disabled impacts all aspects of life, including careers and employment, researchers find it particularly important to study this significant and growing portion of the U.S. population.A new $576,176 National Science Foundation grant awarded to Washington State University and Penn State University will facilitate a better understanding of the needs and factors influencing disabled military personnel and veterans’ participation in the information technology (IT) field. K.D. Joshi, professor of information systems in the WSU College of Business, is the principal investigator and will oversee WSU’s $298,382 portion of the grant.
“There is a compelling need to investigate barriers and facilitators of career choices of persons with disabilities,” said Joshi. “While persons with disabilities experience unique challenges, barriers and identities, understanding military personnel and veterans with disabilities is a subcategory with further nuanced experiences, which needs and deserves a systematic and focused attention.”
“Conducting research that will help disabled veterans gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful as IT professionals is both an honor and our responsibility as a land grant institution,” said Eric Spangenberg, dean of the College of Business. “Dr. Joshi’s continuing research in this area is bringing distinction to WSU and is creating a greater awareness nationwide of the need to further investigate the limitations and utilities of postsecondary STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education.”
Specifically, this research explores interest in pursuing a career in the IT field as a function of: congruity among the perceived gender, occupational and IT roles of persons with disabilities; relative importance placed on various aspects of one’s own identity regarding gender, ethnicity, socio-economic class and disability; and one’s feeling of self-confidence regarding the ability to possess the skills and knowledge needed in the IT profession.
This research is part of the collaborating universities’ ongoing effort to evaluate factors influencing the entrance into and persistence within programs of study for an IT career by members of underrepresented groups, including women and African American, Hispanic and Native American individuals.
“By adding persons with disabilities to our scope of research, we are producing a validated model for understanding and predicting career choices of a group of individuals who are currently under-investigated in the literature and underserved in our community,” said Joshi.
“Pursuing higher education can provide a positive focus during a veteran’s recovery and transition into a civilian life,” said Matt Zimmerman, assistant registrar and veteran’s coordinator in the WSU Veterans Affairs Office. “For a severely injured veteran, pursuit of postsecondary education can provide a focal point for rebuilding a life. However, it is important that veterans choose occupational pathways, such as STEM related careers, that are well aligned with the market needs.”
About the College of Business
The WSU College of Business is accredited at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The college spans campuses across WSU with the largest campus in Pullman, a thriving online campus, urban campuses in Vancouver and the Tri-Cities, an emerging campus in Everett and global partnerships in China, Switzerland, Thailand, Greece and many other locations. The college conducts scholarly and applied research and offers degree programs in a variety of business disciplines and in hospitality business management. It supplements face-to-face offerings with innovative online learning and international programs. For more information, visit the college’s website at http://www.business.wsu.edu.