rHannah Anderson

National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 Paper

SPEDS 3312 Procedures in Transition to Adult Life
Dr. Bethune

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2) was a

multi-year study that gathered data from individuals with disabilities
and their parents and teachers on various facets of their transition
process, from how they perceived their social skills to how many were
able to secure jobs. While the NLTS-2 provides data on many outcomes
of young adults with disabilities as they transitioned, this paper will
focus specifically on employment outcomes. With data from the Wave
2 studies done in 2009, the NLTS-2 presents employment outcomes for
young adults of different ages, conditions, and genders. Many of the
numbers are encouraging, but schools, transition services, and
workplaces still have much work to do. This study helps give transition
professionals a clear picture of the where improvements need to be
made and where current transition programs may fall short.
The first section of data reviewed from the Wave 2 presents
percentages of young adults currently employed at the time of the
study. Overall, individuals with multiple and/or severe disabilities
reported below average percentages of employment. The lowest
employment percentages were for young adults with orthopedic
impairment (33%), autism (32%), and deaf/blindness (29%).

Another important section of data presented the lengths of time

it took, on average, for individuals to find their current job. The
average length of time it took for all the individuals in the study to find
a job was a little over three months. These numbers again varied by
condition, with individuals with autism and multiple disabilities taking
the highest number of months on average to find a job: 5.4 and 5.6
months, respectively.
Wages were another factor considered under the employment
category. Once again, individuals with autism, multiple disabilities, and
deaf/blindness scored the poorest, with around forty percent40% of
each of those groups earning less than minimum wage ($7.25 an
hour). Individuals with visual impairments had the highest average
wage of $11 an hour.
Another fascinating area this study covered was the percentage
of individuals who disclosed to their employer that they had a
disability. Students who had more severe disabilities tended to disclose
earlier (before they took the job) and more frequently than students
with conditions such as learning disabilities. In fact, over 86% of
students with learning disabilities did not report their disability to their
employer at all, compared with those who had autism, multiple
disabilities, and deaf/blindness, who overwhelmingly both reported
their disability and reported it before beginning employment.

These data reflect important nuances in current transition and

employment services. As a future practitioner, I believe these
employment outcomes suggest that while our focus needs to remain
on preparing our students for the best possible outcome, it is also
important to advocate with employers and leaders in our communities.
I dont think that many employers are aware of the benefits that
people with disabilities bring to the workplace, as negative stereotypes
are far better known than the actual positive outcomes. While most
students with disabilities can self-disclose to their employers and are
otherwise excellent employees, the greatest areas of need are making
sure both that these individuals are able to find employment and that
theyre able to find employment that can support their financial needs.
As the professionals that deal daily with these exceptional adults,
advocacy and exposure is an important part of our job. Ignorant or
prejudiced employers can still negate the preparation we give our
students, no matter how thorough this preparation has been.

While I expected to see that young adults with disabilities would

have lower employment rates and lower rates of pay, I was surprised
by how varied this outcome was by disability type. For example,
individuals with learning disabilities were far more likely to be
employed than their peers with disability, and it was most surprising to
see the gap in pay between individuals with visual impairment and

their deaf and deaf/blind peers a gap of almost $4 per hour between
minimum wage and the average $11 per hour salary of a visually
impaired young adult.
Similarly, these outcomes are not consistent across student
demographics. Males were over twelve percent12% more likely to be
employed than females, and similar disparities exist between different
races and ethnicities. For example, sixty-five percent65% of white
young adults were currently employed at the time of the study,
compared to only fifty percent50% of Hispanic young adults and fortyfive percent 45% of African American young adults. They also varied
by age. Individuals who were twenty-three or twenty-four years old
were slightly more likely to find a job than their older or younger
counterparts and it took slightly less time for them to find those jobs.
There are certainly some factors that may account for these
disparities. Individuals with visual impairments tend to have higher
levels of education than individuals with other disabilities, meaning
that they have better chances of being employed and may
automatically be placed in a different pay grade. This may also be true
of older students who have had more time to obtain more education
and skills and may be objectively more hirable. Another factor
impacting this outcome could certainly be the socioeconomic status of
these various groups; individuals who are a part of a middle-class,
white family may have access to better schools, transition services,

and employment opportunities. They also have the advantage of

perhaps having English as their first language, as opposed to many
Hispanic young adults.
Its difficult to look at these disparities and suggest solutions to
help equalize employment outcomes. As mentioned before, a huge
area of improvement needs be in educating employers and community
leaders. With so many stigmas still present in the world, individuals
with disabilities encounter massive difficulties in obtaining employment
that often have little to do with their personal behavior. Educating
employers and giving them resources for accommodations and hiring
could eventually change this, even if that change is slow. Another
solution that I believe must be implemented regardless of employment
outcomes is ensuring that each state, school, and transition program
offers thorough, excellent training that prepares each individual to
reach their highest potential. There are obvious disparities between
wealthy states and poorer states, wealthier school districts and poorer
school districts. This disparity exists in every field of education, but it is
most limiting to our students with disabilities, whose real-life
opportunities may be stunted simply by the school they were required
to attend.