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This publication shares findings from a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012 dataset, looking specifically at parent expectations for students with intellectual disability and autism and compared them to those of students in other disability groups. Specifically, parent expectations around living and financial independence were examined. Findings of this study are in line with those from previous studies, showing that parents of students with intellectual disability and autism have lower expectations for their children post-school than parents of other students in other disability groups.

Reviews of the transition literature have identified 23 in-school predictors of post-school success for students with disabilities. We sought to identify available variables in the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) Phase I dataset that correspond with the 23 in-school predictors of post-school success to better understand transition experiences for students with disabilities. This report discusses the iterative review process we used to identify close matches for 11 predictors, weak matches for 6 predictors, and no match for 6 predictors. Implications for research are also discussed. [For the companion report, "Comparing Access to In-School Predictors of Post-School Success for Students with Intellectual Disability in Conventional and College-Based Transition Services. Think College Reports," see ED626991.]

College-based transition services provide opportunities for transition-age students with intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) between the ages of 18 and 22 to receive their final years of secondary transition services in a college or university setting. We compared the extent to which youth with ID/A experience in-school predictors of post-school success in conventional vs. college-based transition services. For our analysis we used the NLTS 2012 Phase I dataset and the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability (TPSID) 2010-2015 dataset. The findings of this study also identify potential advantages to offering college-based transition services, as well as guidance about priority areas where transition services could be improved in both conventional and college-based approaches. [For the companion report, "Matching In-School Predictors of Postschool Success to Variables in the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Think College Reports," see ED626992.]

Employment is one of the most significant markers of independence and success for a person. One's ability to secure and maintain employment in a paid position can have a significant impact on their overall quality of life, community participation, financial self-sufficiency, and pathway to a long-lasting career. Unfortunately, the paid employment rate for youth and adults with a disability remains markedly lower than their peers without a disability. Our understanding of national employment trends and outcomes for youth with disabilities has been heavily informed by the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and NLTS2, with data gathered in 1987-1991 and 2001-2009 respectively. The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) dataset offers an updated look at employment of youth in 7th-12th grade with data gathered in 2012-2013. Using the NLTS 2012 data, we examined employment in the past 12 months of youth with intellectual disability (ID) and autism (collectively referred to here as ID/A) compared to other populations of youth with and without disabilities.

In recent years, the number of children with a diagnosis of autism has substantially increased (Baio, 2012). There is a growing interest, therefore, in knowing more about their transition to employment as they reach adulthood. To address this question, the authors examined the national and state data from the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program for the years 2006 to 2010. Focusing on people with autism who were 16 to 26 years old and unemployed, they set out to describe how many of them sought VR services, received services, and then gained integrated employment. They also looked at earnings and work hours of those employed. To provide some context, they compared the findings for youth with autism with the findings for youth with other disabilities. Moreover, they investigated the data at both the national and state level. For the state-level data, they reported the average across the five years. The purpose of this study was to improve their understanding about the transition to employment of youth with autism. They found that (a) an increasing number of youth with autism sought VR services, although their number was relatively small compared to youth with other disabilities; (b) only about half of youth with autism who exited the VR program received services, and the figure declined; (c) of the youth with autism who received services, only about half gained integrated employment, and the figure declined; (d) hourly earnings increased enough to compensate for inflation, but overall remained modest whereas work hours were low and declining; and (e) all outcomes varied considerably from state to state regardless of disability types, and with only minor influence from the states' socio-economic environments. Based on these findings, the authors recommend that attention be paid to state differences in the implementation of services, and the relationship between engagement in services and outcomes. States have much to learn from one another, especially given that employment outcomes varied substantially across states without necessarily reflecting the job seekers' types of disabilities and the states' socioeconomic environments. (Contains 3 figures.)

In this Data Note, the authors look at the average number of young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) who between 2010 and 2014 exited vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. To account for the different population sizes of the states, the authors divided these average numbers by the population of young adults with disabilities in the corresponding states, and then multiplied the result by 1,000. These figures are named "VR engagement rates." Compared to an earlier Data Note that examined the years 2002-2011 (ED587202), five new states reported substantially higher engagement rates in the period 2010-2014: Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Vermont. Also, Alaska, Arkansas, and New Mexico exited the group of states that, during the years 2002-2011, reported substantially lower engagement rates. [This is a publication of the Partnerships in Employment project and StateData.info--both projects of ThinkWork.org at the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.]

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 requires that vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies set aside at least 15% of their federal VR services grant funds to assist students with disabilities. These students are entitled to receiving pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS). Pre-ETS include job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on enrollment opportunities, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy. This Data Note explores the effects of this WIOA provision on people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who exited the VR program during program year 2018 (July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019). [This Data Note is a product of ThinkWork! at the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.]

To learn about whether young adults with intellectual disabilities in the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program are getting work experience, the authors of this Data Note examined the age at application of people with intellectual disabilities who exited the VR program in 2012. Findings show the largest age group at application was people who were age 18 (n=6,400). This is good news because it shows that the VR program has a focus on young adults. However, findings also showed that seeking VR services at a young age did not necessarily result in reporting an employment closure at an earlier age. For example, people who were 14 years old at application took 6.2 years to exit VR with employment, compared to only about 1.6 years for people age 21 or older.

Experiencing paid employment during and immediately after high school is a critical step on the path toward economic self-sufficiency in adulthood. Young adults with disabilities interested in gaining employment experiences may seek support from vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. In this Data Note, the authors examine the extent to which young adults with intellectual disabilities engage with their state VR programs.