Given the relatively high dropout rate for urban youth with disabilities, it is not surprising that few enrolled in postsecondary education or training. Employed youth in urban areas earned slightly higher wages, on average, than youth in suburban or rural areas. Table 4.9 shows the types of jobs youth with disabilities held in the years immediately after leaving school. A sizeable percentage of youth in urban, suburban, and rural area were employed in manual labor and restaurant work. Youth in rural areas were more likely than those in urban areas to work in lawn care or agriculture.
Standard errors are in parenthesis.
The National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students. Statistical Almanac, Volume 1 . Overall, youth with disabilities in urban areas appear to have some difficulty in adjusting to postsecondary roles. Their relatively low high school graduation rates leave them ill-prepared for many employment opportunities. As a result, their earnings potential is severely limited.