An $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will enable the National Disability Institute to operate a policy development center that focuses on employment for individuals with disabilities.

The four-year cooperative partnership will distribute approximately $2 million annually and will be managed by the department's Office of Disability Employment Policy, according to an Aug. 26 Department of Labor news release.

“Working with the National Disability Institute and Social Policy Research Associates, we look forward to ensuring people with disabilities have equal and inclusive access to opportunities to succeed,” Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams said in the release.

The center will supplement the efforts of the Office of Disability Employment Policy's National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities, which is funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the release reported.

Williams said the partnership raises disability employment data collection awareness. It also will build career pathways and improve financial empowerment, according to the release.

“By doing so, we can help create more competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities,” she said, the release reported.

The Institute and Social Policy Research Associates will work to improve equitable access to seek to promote greater and more equitable access to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs and services and enable economic advancement that results in improved outcomes for individuals with disabilities, according to the release.