This report summarizes the employment and economic outcomes for young adults with intellectual disabilities between 2006 and 2013 in the nation’s 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC). Data are reported separately for two age groups: 16 to 21 years old, and 22 to 30 years old. Data are from the American Community Survey (ACS), the Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 (RSA-911), and the National Core Indicators (NCI).
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American Community Survey (ACS)
The ACS collects information annually from a sample of about three million people randomly selected from the 50 states and DC. The survey is carried out by the US Census Bureau to better understand changing communities, with the goal of informing state and national policies. Topics include gender, age, race, disability, education, employment, income, commute time to work, veteran status, and other demographic and personal data.
In this report, we compare summary data regarding people without disabilities, people with any types of disabilities, and people with cognitive disabilities. For each of the three groups, we show estimates regarding the following variables:
1. Total number of individuals
2. Percentage employed
3. Mean annual earnings (Adjusted for inflation)
4. Mean weekly work hours
5. Percentage with a high school diploma or GED
Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 (RSA-911)
The RSA-911 is an administrative case-reporting database that captures characteristics, services provided, and employment outcomes of people with any type of disability who applied to a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. Every year, RSA911 data are released regarding the about 600,000 people who exited the VR program during the prior fiscal year.
We show the following data items for people with intellectual disabilities and people with any disabilities:
1. Total number of closures
2. Rehabilitation rate
3. Percentage employed of the total
4. Mean weekly earnings (Adjusted for inflation)
5. Mean weekly work hours
National Core Indicators (NCI)
The National Core Indicator (NCI) data track outcomes of people with intellectual disabilities who received services from 30 state intellectual and developmental disabilities agencies. Data are collected from a random sample of individuals who received services from these state agencies. Data are then aggregated and used to support state efforts to strengthen long-term care policy, inform the conduct of quality assurance activities, and compare state performance with national norms.
In this report, we show the employment outcomes of adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, ages 18–21 and 22–30, for the years 2010–2014, as provided by the Human Services Research Institute. We show data about the following items:
1. Total reporting
2. Percentage in integrated employment
3. Percentage in individual employment
4. Two-week earnings (Adjusted for inflation)
5. Two-week work hours