Postsecondary Education Support and Earning Outcomes through Participation in Vocational Rehabilitation Services

For youth with intellectual disability (ID), there is a significant disparity in education and employment outcomes as compared to those without ID. Youth with ID are less likely to have postsecondary education or competitive employment goals in their transition plans and have lower rates of employment and postsecondary education participation than youth with other disabilities. Only 30% of youth with ID go on to any type of postsecondary education after high school, and 81% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are served in segregated non-work settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the provision of college and university training by vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and examine the associations between certificate or degree completion and weekly earnings among individuals with IDD served by the federal-state VR system.