The Post-High School Outcomes of Young Adults with Disabilities up to 6 Years after High School: Key Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). NCSER 2011-3004
Author: Sanford, Christopher
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Young Adults,Disabilities,Longitudinal Studies,High School Students,Postsecondary Education,Enrollment,Graduation,Employment Level,Wages,Participation,Independent Living,Child Rearing,Marriage,Friendship,Citizen Participation,Crime

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) provides a unique source of information to help in developing an understanding of the experiences of secondary school students with disabilities nationally as they go through their early adult years. NLTS2 addresses questions about youth with disabilities in transition by providing information over a 10-year period about a nationally representative sample of secondary school students with disabilities who were receiving special education services under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the 2000-01 school year. The NLTS2 Wave 4 overview report describes key postsecondary outcomes for the subset of young adults with disabilities who were out of secondary school up to 6 years and 19 to 23 years old when telephone interviews were conducted in 2007. This report, as all NLTS2 reports are guided by the NLTS2 framework. Specifically, this report addresses questions that reflect critical domains of young adulthood, which are central to the purpose of IDEA as expressed in 20 U.S.C. 1400(d)(1)(A) to &quot;prepare them [children with disabilities] for future education, employment, and independent living.&quot; This report focuses on the following research questions: (1) What are the postsecondary education, employment, independence, and social outcomes of young adults with disabilities in their first 6 years out of high school?; (2) How do these outcomes differ for young adults in different disability categories, for those with different school-exit characteristics (high school completion status and length of time out of high school), and demographic characteristics (young adults' gender, young adults' race/ethnicity, and parents' household income)?; and (3) How do the post-high school outcomes of young adults with disabilities compare with those of similar-age peers in the general population? This report is envisioned as a brief overview of the primary achievements of young adults with disabilities who have been out of high school for up to 6 years, focusing on key outcomes in postsecondary education, employment, residential and financial independence and social and community involvement. Chapter 2 describes two outcomes, the extent to which young adults with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education and for those who had enrolled, the extent to which they had completed their postsecondary programs. Chapter 3 considers the employment status of young adults and current wages. Chapter 4 addresses the extent to which young adults with disabilities were productively engaged in school, work, or preparation for work after they left high school. The household circumstances of young adults with disabilities are considered in chapter 5, including the extent to which young adults were living away from home, the prevalence of marriage and parenting, and aspects of their financial independence. Chapter 6 focuses on the social and community involvement in both positive and negative ways of young adults with disabilities, including their participation in organized groups and volunteer activities, and their involvement with the criminal justice system. This report provides the most recent national picture of multiple dimensions of the outcomes of young adults with disabilities who had been out of secondary school up to 6 years. These findings will be augmented in the next few years of NLTS2 as more youth transition to adulthood and have increasing exposure to opportunities for postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. Appended are: (1) NLTS2 Sampling, Data Collection, and Analysis Procedures; and (2) Additional Analyses. (Contains 39 tables, 18 tables and 59 footnotes.)