What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Most of us remember a time in school when we were asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” For children with disabilities, a future in the workforce is often an afterthought despite both a desire and a capacity to actively contribute in society. Low expectations for youth with disabilities, systemic barriers and inaccessibility contribute to the high unemployment rate for people with disabilities.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month #NDEAM, a reminder to recognize the contributions of workers with disabilities while also spotlighting inclusive hiring practices and employment policies. It is also a time to reflect on the postsecondary decisions that lead to employment. As we wrap up high school and try to answer “what do I want to be” we consider a number of paths. For students with disabilities there are barriers and considerations for them that differ from their non-disabled peers when deciding what comes next.

There are several pathways disabled students can take as they exit the school system. Students may 1) seek employment, 2) enter higher education or 3) end up in some kind of day services.

Despite legal protections and existing state services, there is an employment gap between people with disabilities and those without. Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) disabled people are protected from discrimination in the workplace on the basis of their disability and employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. States also offer Vocational Rehabilitation programs, government-funded public programs to help persons with all types of disabilities prepare for and get jobs. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, across all age groups and educational attainment groups, persons with disabilities are much less likely to be employed than those with no disabilities.

Current population data shows differences between youth with disabilities and those without in the labor market. The 2021 Annual Youth Labor Force Participation Rate and Unemployment rate indicates that fewer youth with disabilities are participating in the labor force. In addition, there are large numbers of youth with disabilities without jobs, available for work and actively seeking a job.

Barriers to employment for disabled people are many and include workplace inaccessibility, social security and benefits that could be negatively impacted by employment status. Another reason for low employment rates for disabled people is limited job skills or related education. People with disabilities are less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree than those with no disability which impacts employment rates in the disability community since completion of a bachelor’s degree increases employment outcomes.

Roughly two out of every three high school students with disabilities served under IDEA graduate, a lower graduation rate than their non-disabled peers, according to NCES. Those who do not graduate with a diploma in 4 years either graduate with an alternative diploma or certificate, or do not graduate at all. This is one reason that higher education is a space that is mostly inaccessible to students with disabilities. A vast majority of higher education institutions require a high school diploma which means a little under 1/3 of students with disabilities are automatically unable to attend. There are a limited number of schools that have programs for students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) that do not require a diploma or standardized testing for entry. Despite the existence of IDD programs, they are few, small and often come with a price tag, leaving many people with IDD no opportunities for higher education.

For those that do go on to higher education, it is difficult for them to receive the same services or accommodations they had earlier in their academic career. Part of the reason for this is because higher education institutions are not required to recognize the Individualized Education Program Plans (IEP Plans) or 504 Plans that the preK-12 system uses for students with disabilities.Though higher education institutions must follow federal civil rights laws like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, students must register with an institution's Disability Services office and expend additional time, energy and sometimes cost to be granted accommodations or services needed to fully access higher education. There are, however, active efforts to change this as just this month the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act. The RISE Act would improve the process for students who qualify for disability services by requiring colleges to accept a wider variety of forms of documentation such as IEP Plans or 504 plans.

Day services are a lesser talked about post graduate outcome for people with disabilities. Adult day service centers are a place for adults with disabilities to go outside the home, and particularly during the day to allow home caregivers to work, learn how to attend to their own needs, and maintain a sense of independence. Ideally, day services allow adults with all types of disabilities to be active in the community, socialize with their peers, and receive needed health and personal care services. They serve all types of disabilities but generally are for adults with Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and developmental disabilities. They are generally funded through Medicaid waivers for individuals with specific needs and financial support through the Administrations on Aging and Veterans' Administrations though it varies by state and can require private funding by families or individuals. Some day service programs provide job/skill training for participants to prepare them for eventual employment.

For a long portion of the pandemic, day services were shut down and groups of people with developmental disabilities had to stay home because there were no alternative programs or supports for them. This showed the importance of day services in providing opportunities for people with IDD to have social interaction and experiences out in the community. So while day services are of value, there are some concerns. For youth with disabilities exiting the school system, Day services might make sense when they have nowhere else to go. Higher education isn’t available, they are not prepared for employment yet, and it’s an alternative to being inactive at home. However, while an individual may not be ready for employment yet, but could be in the future with the right training and supports, it is important that day services be positioned as a step on the way towards employment, and not a permanent solution. Day Services may also be an appropriate setting for individuals with high support needs who are not able to transition into employment-based programs. If this is the case, day services in community settings are an important option to avoid isolation and segregation. Day services should not be a dumping ground for people with disabilities. High quality day services are a step to employment or an opportunity for people to be out in the community when employment is not an option.

Whether exiting high school and transitioning straight into employment, pursuing higher education, or using day services, youth with disabilities should be at the center of conversations during National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

We should be asking children with disabilities “what do you want to be when you grow up” and then considering what supports, skills, and societal changes are needed to make that happen.

People with disabilities are rich contributors to culture and society and our workforce is only strengthened when we make sure the workforce is not only accessible but inclusive.

This post alternates between the use of person-first language and identity-first language when referring to the disability community in an effort to recognize the varied preferences for language and identity within the community.

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