Site Visit Implementation Partners

Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) Program Evaluation

AppC_Site Visit Topic Guides_SWTCIE Implementation Partners_clean 10.3.24

Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment Program Evaluation

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Semi Structured Interviews: SWTCIE Implementation Partners

Revised 10/3/24

Interviews: SWTCIE Implementation Partners (Project director, local evaluator, TA and training provider, staff involved with recruitment and enrollment of SWTCIE participants, staff person involved with employer/14(c) certificate holder engagement)



Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. My name is ____ and I work for Mathematica, an independent research firm. I’m joined by my colleague _____, who will be taking notes. Mathematica has been contracted by the US Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration to conduct the national evaluation of the Disability Innovation Fund Demonstration’s Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment projects, which is referred to as the [grantee-specific project name] in your state.

The purpose of our discussion is to learn about project implementation during the first year of the demonstration. We would also like to hear your perspective on [tailor for specific implementation partner]. In addition, we would like to understand [tailor for specific implementation partner]. I encourage you to speak openly and share examples from your direct experience. When doing so, I would like to ask that you refrain from using individual’s actual names, such as participants and family members, during our discussion. 

The personally identifiable information (PII) requested on this form is collected as authorized by Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, P.L. 117-103 Rehabilitation Services, March 15, 2022. The researchers conducting this study follow the confidentiality and data protection requirements, as required by law. Your responses will be kept private and used only for research purposes. Your responses will be combined with the responses of other respondents and no individual names will be reported. While there are no direct benefits to participants and participation is voluntary, your participation will help us learn how states can help increase employment for people with disabilities. While your information will not be disclosed outside of the Department, there may be circumstances where information may be shared with a third party, such as a Freedom of Information Act request, court orders or subpoena, or if a breach or security incident would occur affecting the system, etc.

We expect this discussion to take about one hour. Do you have any questions before we get started?   

I would like to record the discussion to make sure I do not miss anything you share. The notes and recording will be used for notetaking only and will not be shared with anyone outside the study team. Is it okay with you that we record this conversation?

[If participants consent:] I will turn on the recording now, but let me know if you would like me to stop recording at any time.

For our records, can you please indicate your consent to participating in this discussion by stating “I consent to participating”?

[Moderator note: START AUDIO RECORDER AND/OR WEBEX RECORDING NOW.] 

Use these prompts to generate in-depth discussion.

Outreach and recruitment strategies (generally and for underserved populations)

  • Strategies for outreach to recruit participants

  • Strategies to inform potential participants about the SWTCIE project

  • Perspectives on intake and enrollment

  • Successes and challenges encountered

  • Changes in enrollment goals

Engaging 14(c) certificate holders, employers, and providers

  • Reasons for partnering with 14(c) certificate holders/employers/other service providers to support project operations

  • Successes and challenges building partnerships with employers, providers, and 14(c) certificate holders

  • Effective strategies in engaging 14(c) certificate holders/employers/other service providers

  • Challenges in engaging providers delivering SWTCIE services and supports

  • Perspectives on the training and technical assistance needs of providers, employers and 14(c) certificate holders

  • Perspectives on the training and technical assistance offered to providers, employers and 14(c) certificate holders

  • Lessons learned related to provider engagement

  • Lessons learned related to employer engagement

  • Lessons learned related to 14(c) certificate holder engagement

Engaging people with lived experiences (people with disabilities, families/loved ones, and people with experience in subminimum wage employment)

  • Descriptions of advisory councils and communities of practice

  • Influence of advisory councils and communities of practice on project design and implementation

  • Successes and challenges in advisory councils and communities of practice

  • Facilitators in recruitment for the advisory council and/or community of practice

  • Lessons learned related to engaging people with lived experiences

Services and service models

  • Challenges in delivering SWTCIE services and supports

  • Strategies to address challenges in delivering SWTCIE services and supports

  • Lessons learned in delivering SWTCIE services and supports

  • Strategies to encourage service providers to support client engagement

Project partnerships

  • Evolution of VR’s relationship with community partners

  • How partners shaped project design and implementation

  • The extent to which partnerships represented diverse perspectives

  • Partners’ relationships with participants and their families

  • Challenges partners faced in connecting with participants or their families

  • Strategies for building partner buy-in and engagement

  • Challenges in coordinating with partners

  • Influence of the SWTCIE project on VR’s relationship with community partners/your organization

Project fidelity

  • Methods, data sources, and frequency of data gathering for assessing and monitoring fidelity

  • Areas identified where services were delivered with high/low fidelity

  • How teams acted on information from fidelity assessments

  • Influence of the state’s political environment or policies on project implementation

System-level changes

  • System-level changes and/or policy changes that have resulted from the SWTCIE project

  • Components of SWTICE project VR plans to continue

  • How project changes fit within the state’s larger context of work to promote CIE

  • Facilitators and challenges to shifting state service systems to promote CIE

  • Strategies to overcome obstacles to advancing system-level changes to promote CIE

  • Lessons learned about supporting people with disabilities to achieve CIE

  • Strategies or learnings from the SWTCIE project can be adapted in different settings, or with different populations

  • Anticipated challenges when adapting a [strategy/approach/learning] from the SWTCIE project in different settings, or with different populations

  • Resources or solutions to address challenges in adapting a [strategy/approach/learning] from the SWTCIE project in different settings, or with different populations

  • Strategies or learnings from the project that cannot be adapted

  • Types of training and technical assistance most and least helpful in service and/or business models transformation 

  • Perception of the training and technical assistance received during the transformation period

Overall project impacts

  • Unanticipated positive impacts from the SWTCIE project

  • Unanticipated negative impacts from the SWTCIE project











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