the world is a bit smaller tonight with the death of Alice Wong. if you aren't familiar with who she was please pick up any of her books.

Thanks Brian!!

Thanks Ludovica 😊

My work shows that reducing everyday barriers, like transportation, can transform access to work and community life.

I am completing my PhD in May 2026 & am excited to connect about opportunities to continue this work! 6/6 #EconJobMarket #LaborEcon #DisabilityEconomics
melissa-gentry.github.io

My broader agenda: How do policies & tech shape opportunities for people with disabilities?

Other projects explore minimum wages, remote work in the UK, the intergenerational effects of 1980s paratransit (w/ restricted Census data), & a JPAL-funded RCT on on-demand paratransit. 5/6

The fiscal savings from reduced public assistance outweigh the expected rideshare costs - making a case for encouraging flexible transit options. Promising news: some cities have already begun exploring these kinds of public-private partnerships. 4/6

The results? Rideshare access leads to: ↑ employment, ↑ labor force participation, ↓ public assistance, and ↑ marriage among disabled adults. Effects are largest for those with vision/hearing or mobility disabilities & in areas with worse public transit quality. 3/6

Transportation is a major barrier to work and community/social engagement for people with disabilities. Using Uber's staggered rollout & a stacked DiD, I show how on-demand transit acts as "reliability insurance" when traditional options fail. 2/6

Congrats!! 🎉

While I could not be there in person, it was fantastic to share my work with policymakers and stakeholders in the HCBS space. I’m grateful to the rest of the panel, especially UberHealth and Palco for organizing!

I wasn’t on Bsky for the prior first day pics, but here they all are for nostalgia purposes! First year is missing Phanty because he was adopted in January of that year 😊

"People with disabilities already have a higher rate of unemployment and a lower rate of job placement after school. Now, without a certificate of completion, securing employment could be even harder."

"Under a new Florida law, HB 1105... Students with severe disabilities who can’t earn a standard high school diploma, will leave school without any formal recognition upon graduation."