Recent welfare reform initiatives have focused on moving adults with disabilities from income maintenance programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) into paid work. Young adults with disabilities are a key group for targeted reforms because of their potential for obtaining early and long-term employment. Although there is substantial research focusing on the employment characteristics of working-age adults with disabilities, little recent data describe or explain the relationship between work and SSI participation for young adults with disabilities. This study examined data from the 1994 and 1995 National Health Interview Survey on Disability Supplement (NHIS-D) to describe the employment characteristics of young adults with disabilities, ages 18 to 29 years. In addition, this study examined the extent to which sociodemographic, education, health, disability, and program participation factors were associated with employment for this population. Findings are discussed in light of current SSI and employment policies as well as recommendations for reform.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101.
2.
Berry, H., Price-Ellingstad, D., Halloran, W., & Finch, T. (in press). Supplemental Security Income and Vocational Rehabilitation: Early work experiences among transition-age individuals with disabilities . Journal of Disability Policy Studies.
3.
Burkhauser, R.V., & Wittenburg, D.C. (1996). How current disability transfer policies discourage work: Analysis of the 1990 SIPP. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University.
4.
Fox, J. (1991). Regression diagnostics. Thousand Oaks, CA: 61.2 Sage.
5.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, 20 U.S.C. § 1400-1485.
6.
Kruse, D. (1997). Employment and disability: Characteristics of employed and non-employed people with disabilities (Final report to the U.S. Department of Labor). Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University.
7.
Louis Harris and Associates. (1998). National Organization on Disability/Harris survey of Americans with disabilities . New York: Author .
McNeil, J.M. (1993). Americans with disabilities: 1991-1992 (Bureau of Census, Current Population Reports, P70-33). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
10.
National Academy of Social Insurance. (1995 , May). Restructuring the SSI disability program for children and adolescents. Washington, DC: Author.
11.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1989 ). Design and estimation for the National Health Interview Survey, 1985-1994 (Series 2, No. 110). Hyattsville, MD : Author.
12.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1998 a). National health interview survey-1994 national health interview survey on disability, Phase I and II (Series 10, No. 8A) [CD-ROM]. Hyattsville, MD: Author.
13.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1998 b). National health interview survey-1995 national health interview survey on disability, Phase I and II (Series 10, No. 10A) [CD-ROM]. Hyattsville, MD: Author.
14.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1998 c, July). National health interview survey on disability: Workshop on data release, analysis methods, and preliminary findings. Paper presented at a workshop conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD.
15.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1998 d). National health interview survey-1994 national health interview survey on family resources [Electronic data tape]. Hyattsville, MD: Author.
16.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1998 e). National health interview survey-1995 national health interview survey (Series 10, No. 10C) [CD-ROM]. Hyattsville, MD: Author.
17.
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. § 1305.
18.
Pickett, C. (1998, March). Quarterly report on SSI disabled norkers and work incentive provisions. Baltimore: Social Security Administration, Office of Research , Evaluation, and Statistics.
19.
Research Triangle Institute. (1997). SUDAAN User's Manual (Vol. 1). Research Triangle Park, NC: Author.
20.
Ries, P., & Brown, S. (1993). Disability and health: Characteristics of persons by limitation of activity and assessed health status, United States, 1984-1988 . Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
21.
Rupp, K., & Scott, C.G. (1995). Length of stay in SSI disability program. Social Security Bulletin, 58, 29-47.
22.
Scott, C.G. (1992). Disabled SSI recipients who work. Social Security Bulletin, 51, 26-36.
23.
Social Security Administration. (1998a). Demonstration program: Cooperative agreements for state projects which increase employment for individuals with disabilities who receive public support (Program Announcement No. SSA-OD-98-1). Baltimore: Author.
24.
Social Security Administration. (1998b). Disability evaluation under Social Security (SSA Publication No. 64-039) . Baltimore: Author.
25.
Social Security Administration. (1998c). SSI welfare reform age-18 redetermination status report through December 31, 1998. Baltimore: Author.
26.
Thornton, C., & Sears, J. (1991, November). Characteristics of adults with developmental disabilities: Evidence from the Survey of Income and Program Participation . Paper presented at the meeting of the American Public Health Association, Atlanta.
27.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1995a). Social security: Disability rolls keep growing, while explanations remain elusive (GAO/ HEHS Publication No. 95-34). Washington, DC: Author.
28.
U.S. General Accounting Office (1995b). Social Security: New functional assessmentsfor children raise eligibility questions (GAO/ HEHS Publication No. 95-66). Washington, DC: Author.
29.
Wagner, M., Blackorby, J., Cameto, R., & Newman, L. (1993). What makes a difference? Influences on postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
