Employment

Employment is a pathway to financial independence and self-reliance for youth with disabilities as they move toward adulthood. Achieving employment is a primary transition goal of the majority of high school students with disabilities (Cameto, Levine, and Wagner 2004). As youth with disabilities enter young adulthood, a goal of finding and keeping a job is important, but equally important is having employment that offers benefits, pays a living wage, and presents opportunities for advancement. Youth with disabilities as a whole did not vary significantly between 1990 and 2005 in their reported employment status (62 percent and 56 percent, respectively), job duration (15 months and 13 months), hours employed per week (38 hours and 35 hours), type of job, average wages ($9.10 and $9.00, after adjusting 1990 wages for inflation), or receipt of health insurance from their employer (52 percent and 33 percent).

• At the time of the interview employed youth with disabilities were more likely to receive paid vacation or sick leave in 1990 than 2005 (60 percent vs. 38 percent, 22 percentage-point difference).