SSI Youth Community-Based Services and Supports
Objective
For youth with disabilities, the transition from being legal dependents to legal adults can be daunting because of the loss of federally guaranteed education and supports through the public school system and challenges in obtaining and maintaining employment. This project aimed to categorize different types of community-based services and supports available for youth with disabilities, analyze the impact of these programs on the likelihood that participants will obtain competitive, integrated employment as defined within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA), and recommend services and supports that SSA might consider including in its work incentives policies and practices.
Status
This project was completed in February 2020.
We contracted with Abt Associates to review and synthesize available research on the impact of various types of community-based employment supports, interventions, and programs available to youth and young adults with disabilities.
The research team restricted the review to articles published from 2000 to 2020; articles that empirically evaluate services, supports, and programs in the United States; and articles that involved youth with disabilities ages 14 through 25. The team also restricted its search to journal articles and federally funded research and evaluation reports that focused on employment and related outcomes with a specific interest in identifying and reviewing articles that included transition-age youth and young adults receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
To ensure the research team consistently documented findings from all reviewed articles, Abt developed, tested, and utilized a data collection guide on which reviewers received training.
Through this analysis, we sought to answer the following research questions:
- What kinds of community-based supports and services are effective in improving employment, employment readiness, and related outcomes for youth with disabilities?
- Based on the available evidence, what policy changes to Section 301 could improve employment and related outcomes for transition-age youth receiving SSI?
Regarding question 1, the study suggested that involvement in postsecondary education, vocational training, occupational training, or career and technical education programs are associated with better employment outcomes for transition-age youth; however, there is no causal evidence. The study also found that currently, there is a significant dearth of information regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of community-based programs for transition-age youth. The vast majority of the evidence identified in this review relies upon data from vocational rehabilitation services. Many programs, even those described in this review that are funded by federal agencies, have not yet been evaluated for their effect on the employment outcome of transition-age youth. Moreover, almost no studies provide information on long-term employment outcomes.
Regarding question 2, the study recommends explicit inclusion of programs that contain supported employment elements. Supported employment is defined as follows: Competitive integrated employment, including customized employment; or employment in an integrated work setting in which an individual with a most significant disability is working on a short-term basis toward competitive integrated employment; and employment that is individualized and customized, consistent with the individual’s unique strengths, abilities, interests, and informed choice, including with ongoing support services for individuals with the most significant disabilities. Examples of these programs include: Individual Placement and Support, Bridges from School to Work, and Project SEARCH.
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