Human Resources Professionals' Perspectives on the Use of a Community of Practice to Improve Employment Practices for Individuals With Disabilities

Background: The hiring of persons with disabilities continues to lag relative to the employment outcomes of persons without disabilities. Objective: The goal of this descriptive study was to examine human resources (HR) professionals' perceived needs and development considerations related to the use of a community of practice (CoP) to improve the hiring and retention of people with disabilities within the context of the technology acceptance model (TAM). Methods: Participants were 190 HR professionals who were recruited through email invitations distributed by HR professional organizations in the Rocky Mountain region. The survey was comprised of items assessing beliefs regarding the usefulness, ease of use, and barriers to engaging in a CoP. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive and t-test analyses. Findings: Findings supported that 43.6% of HR professionals were unfamiliar with the term CoP, while 40.6% were familiar with the term CoP. A series paired-samples t-test revealed that LinkedIn was rated as the preferred social media platform. Moreover, resource libraries were identified as the most valuable feature, followed by frequently asked questions and answers, external links, webinar/live chat, continuing education credits, electronic newsletter, just in time information access, and virtual conferences. Conclusions: The findings from this study indicate CoPs could be a viable option as a knowledge translation mechanism and useful in disseminating information and providing a network that allows the exchange of information between practitioners and researchers.