| >> youth experts 2002 research brief What Youth with Disabilities Say is Important for Building a Successful Adult Life |
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Survey of Youth with Disabilities The Office of Special Education Programs has funded several hundred projects focusing on the transition of youth with disabilities from high school to adult life. These projects have identified practices that improve outcomes for youth with disabilities. This brief describes a survey that asked young people with disabilities how much they have participated in these experiences and how important youth believe the experiences are for building a successful adult life. The Youth Leadership Council of the National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) conducted the survey. The NYLN is comprised of approximately 300 young leaders with disabilities, ages 16 to 28, from across the United States. The NYLN is dedicated to advancing policies and practices toward youth with disabilities and to promoting the next generation of disability leaders. Survey Participants The survey was completed by 202 young people with disabilities from 34 states and the District of Columbia. Most of the youth attended high school or college (75%) and lived with their families (61%). Twenty-four percent of the youth reported that they used a personal assistant to help them with daily activities. Most of the youth reported they had a regular doctor (88%) and health insurance (83%). Youth-Directed Survey Method The survey was developed by the Research Committee of the Youth Leadership Council, with support provided by researchers from Oregon Health and Science University and representatives of Federal agencies that sponsor the NYLN. The survey items included 18 practices that research and model demonstration projects have shown to be important for promoting the transition of young people from school to adult life. Two additional items were identified as important and added by Youth Leadership Council members ("Learn about laws like the ADA and IDEA", "Learn about supports for young people with disabilities."). The 17 members of the Youth Leadership Council recruited young people with disabilities, ages 16 - 24, from their personal networks and from high schools, colleges, and community organizations. Council members were provided with face-to-face training to prepare them to administer the survey and they participated in 4 teleconferences to discuss research strategies while they collected the data. The Research Committee developed a Frequently Asked Questions guide to assist youth researchers. Oregon Health & Science University performed data entry and analysis activities, with guidance from the Research Committee. Key Findings
Youth rated how much they participated in each experience and how important each is for transitioning to a successful adult life. As expected, youth rated all of the experiences in the "quite important" to "very important" range with one exception, "Get career counseling" (mean rating = 1.90). In contrast, youth rated their level of participation in every experience as lower than its importance. With one exception, "Attend classes with my peers who don't have disabilities", there was a significant difference between the level that youth said they participated in each activity and their rating of its importance.
Implications The findings suggest that youth with disabilities lack opportunities to do many of the activities that they and professionals agree are important for building a successful adult life. For example, y outh reported having the least opportunity to work in paid jobs in the career areas of their choice. Many young people with disabilities continue to find their options limited to low pay, easy-to-find jobs rather than jobs that are on their career track. It is important to note that this survey has methodological limitations; however, its unique, youth-directed design provides important information about youth experiences and what young people with disabilities believe is important for building a successful adult life. We hope it stimulates increased attention to partnering with youth leaders in conducting research and model programs, as well as in seeking input directly from youth with disabilities, whom are ultimately the ones making lives for themselves. NYLN Supported By: Center on Self-Determination The NYLN is sponsored by the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Council on Disability, Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities, Social Security Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and US Department of Labor. For additional information about the National Youth Leadership Network, contact: Alison Turner, NYLN Coordinator References Horn, L. & Berktold, J. (1999). Students with disabilities in postsecondary education: A profile of preparation, participation and outcomes . U.S. Department of Education, National Center on Educational Statistics (NCES), 1999. National Organization on Disability (2001). The N.O.D./Harris 2000 survey of Americans with disabilities. Washington, DC: N.O.D. U.S. Census Bureau (1997). Survey of Income and program participation . Tables B2 - B5, www.census.gov.
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