Differential vocational rehabilitation service patterns and outcomes for transition-age youth with specific learning disabilities: Implications in the COVID-19 era

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It is essential to ensure that youth with specific learning disabilities (SLD) receive an appropriate type and amount of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to facilitate their entrance to employment and career development. METHODS: In this study, the chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID) analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship among demographic variables, VR services, and employment outcomes for transition-age youth with SLD. RESULTS: Results indicated that age, gender, race, educational level, and cash benefits from the Social Security Administration were significant predictors of employment outcomes for transition-age youth with SLD. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables, job and training related services had significant relationships with employment outcomes. Most notably, job placement, occupational/vocational training, and on-the-job support services had the strongest relationships with competitive employment outcomes. CONCLUSION: These findings support the effectiveness of job-related services and supported employment for transition-age youth with SLD. Implications for future research and practice in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

School and Employment-Related Barriers for Youth and Young Adults with and without a Disability during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area

“…Some research shows that working from home is more prevalent in industries involving more highly educated and higher-paid workers and is less prevalent in lower-paid positions and in certain sectors (i.e., manufacturing, health care, retail) [54]. Youth with disabilities who are employed often work in entry-level positions such as restaurant and retail jobs, which were among the first industries to close down during the pandemic [39]. Those who remained employed in in-person positions during the pandemic often worked in high-risk sectors such as grocery stores or in health care [39].…”

“…Youth with disabilities who are employed often work in entry-level positions such as restaurant and retail jobs, which were among the first industries to close down during the pandemic [39]. Those who remained employed in in-person positions during the pandemic often worked in high-risk sectors such as grocery stores or in health care [39]. Additionally, recent evidence shows the influence of the pandemic on people's mental health, resulting from a fear of catching the virus, dying, confusion, anger, and loss of employment [49], which is consistent with our findings.…”

“…The researchers took notes during and shortly following the interview. Our interview guide (Supplementary File S1) was informed by the recent literature on schoolwork transitions [37] and employment, volunteering, and schooling during pandemics and similar disruptive events [12,19,20,[38][39][40][41]. Questions were asked about school and employment status, career plans before the pandemic, and how COVID-19 affected them, including psychosocial issues (see Supplemental File).…”

Effects of VHA Policy Directive 1163 on Acceptance and Employment Rates for Veterans with Substance Use Disorders Referred to VHA Vocational Rehabilitation

“…The current study was unable to determine if this was also a factor as to whether Veterans were not accepted into the program (eg, perhaps they disclosed they were not interested in pursuing employment and wanted to be in the TW program that provides tax-free payments). Additionally, the impact of COVID-19 may explain disparities in employment rates at closure during the post-implementation phase of Policy Directive 1163, as a little over 1 year the COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of the United States, and Vocational Rehabilitation service delivery models in the public sector [25][26][27][28][29][30] and the implementation of telemedicine (VA Video Connect) occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. [31][32][33]…”

The COVID-19 pandemic as a tipping point: The precarity of transition for students who receive special education and English language services

“…Pandemic-related employment disparities were greater for employees with disabilities who were also people of color than their White peers (Schall et al, 2021). Recent research has also found that transition-aged youth with multiple VR services delivered in a shorter period of time are more likely to have positive outcomes in employment, suggesting that correcting a pandemic-related absence of services could be redressed (Kaya et al, 2021).…”