A National Policy Summit

Introduction and Strategic Plan of Research

Leadership in the nation's business and education communities has long pointed to the need for highly educated and skilled workers as the nation seeks to succeed in the competitive global economy. Further, over the last twenty years changes in the nation's labor market have increased the importance of possessing a postsecondary education. Students who continue their education after high school maximize their preparedness for careers in today's changing economy as they learn the higher order thinking and technical skills to take advantage of current and future job market trends. For persons with disabilities completion of some type of postsecondary education, including vocational-technical training, significantly improves one's chances of securing meaningful employment. In fact, for persons with disabilities a stronger positive correlation is demonstrated between level of education and rate of employment than is found in statistical trends for the general population.

Given this important data, there are a number of positive signs supporting the participation of persons with disabilities in postsecondary education and employment. These include (OSERS, USDOE, November 29, 2000; Harris Survey, 2000; HEATH Survey, 1998):

• The percentage of students with disabilities graduating from high school with a diploma has risen slowly but steadily in recent years (51.7% in 1994 to 55.4% in 1998);
• The percentage of adults with disabilities who report completing high school has increased significantly between 1986 and 2000 (61% in 1986 to 78% in 2000);
• The number of students with disabilities dropping out of high school has began to decrease (35% dropped out in 1984, decreased to 31% in 1998);
• The percentage of college freshmen with a disability has more than tripled over the last twenty years (3% in 1978 to over 9% in 1998);
• Students with learning disabilities are the most common type of disabilities in postsecondary education;
  · Students with disabilities are more likely to attend two year postsecondary education programs than four year programs - two year programs also provide a greater range of supports and services (both disability focused and generic learning supports) than four year programs;
• More than 50% of students with disabilities enrolling in postsecondary education persist toward a degree or credential;
• Nearly all public postsecondary institutions enroll students with disabilities (approximately 98% of public institutions, 1998);
• Most postsecondary education institutions enrolling students with disabilities provide some level of services, supports, or accommodations to assist their access to an education;
• Younger students with disability having completed lower education during the past twenty years are employed at a higher rate than their older counterparts (59% employed within the 21 - 34 age group, 55% employed within the 35 - 54 age group, 36% of those 55 and older);
• For adults saying they are able to work, employment rates have gone up over the past 14 years (46% in 1986 to 56% in 2000);
• Individuals with a disability who earn a bachelors degree do almost as well with employment as do those individuals without a disability (67% of youth with disabilities with a bachelor degree were working full time compared with 73% for persons with disability holding the same degree).

Despite the above areas of significant progress, a number of gaps, issues, and problems remain for persons with disabilities as they seek to prepare for, access, and succeed in postsecondary education and subsequent employment. Continuing issues include:

• Students with disabilities are less likely than their peers without disabilities to complete a full secondary school academic curriculum, resulting in lower levels of academic achievement and preparation for postsecondary education (differences are most significant in math & science curriculum areas);
• Youth with disabilities drop out of high school at twice the rate of their peers without disabilities (these rates are much higher for youth with significant disabilities);
• Youth with disabilities are less likely than their peers without disabilities to graduate from high school, both with a diploma and with other forms of exit;
• Youth with disabilities are less likely to start postsecondary education than are their peers without disabilities (two years after receiving a high school diploma, 63% of students with disability had enrolled in some form of postsecondary education, compared to 72% of their peers without disability);
• Youth with disabilities who start postsecondary education are less likely to retain and complete a degree or certificate than are their peers without disabilities;
• Students with a disability who finish postsecondary education take significantly longer to complete their degree than do their peers without a disability;
• More than 80% of youth with disabilities who attempt postsecondary education require assistance to manage/coordinate their educational and related services;
• Individuals with disabilities are less likely to be employed than individuals without disabilities, across all age groups;
• Working-age adults with disabilities consistently earn less than do their peers without disabilities (1997 median earnings were $17,700 compared to $23,700).

In the Fall of 1998, the National Institutes for Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) funded a Rehabilitation Research & Training Center (RRTC) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to further address the issues facing persons with disabilities as they seek access and success within postsecondary education and subsequent employment. Phase I of the Strategic Plan of Research for the new RRTC obtained further clarity around a number of barriers facing persons with disabilities seeking to access and participate within postsecondary education, as follows (National Survey of Educational Support Provision, 2000; National Focus Groups of Youth with Disabilities, 2000):

• The type and range of educational supports and services provided in postsecondary education varies extensively from campus to campus. A two year follow-up study of educational support offerings (2002) indicates that such offerings continue to expand on postsecondary education campuses;
• Educational supports & services offered to persons with disabilities in postsecondary education are not well integrated with instruction - often it is the responsibility of the student to understand and make this linkage;
• Obtaining educational supports & services in postsecondary education requires an understanding of one's disability needs and the advocacy skills to explain those needs to disability support personnel - often such understanding and skills are not taught in secondary school and the IEP procedural requirements do not include the opportunity for youth to develop these skills.
• Large numbers of youth with disabilities accessing postsecondary education require case management assistance with their education and related support needs;
• Educational supports and services offered in postsecondary education are not "individualized" according to a students needs (as required in lower education), but rather are offered as a menu of services, often associated with disability type;
• Faculty members and other personnel in postsecondary education settings are often unaware of disability needs, have a limited range of differentiated instructional skills, and have low expectations of students with disabilities;
• Technology can be an equalizer for students with disabilities in postsecondary education, yet, youth in secondary school have little opportunity to become aware or obtain technology skills related to their educational support needs;
• There is little awareness of the needs of youth with disability in postsecondary education to obtain subsequent employment or to transfer educational supports to the work setting.

Based upon findings from Phase I studies, a team of national leaders in secondary education, transition, postsecondary education, and employment met to formulate a number of next generation, active research studies (Phase II of the Strategic Program of Research). Study questions were generated during the Forum and further refined and ordered within a matrix to address critical areas of need as identified in Phase I studies.
The matrix (Strategic Plan of Research -Phase II) consisted of studies bridging three types of settings (secondary school preparation & transition, postsecondary education, and subsequent employment) and three areas of investigation (advocacy/self-determination, types of services, supports, & accommodations-including technology-and coordination and support management). Also included in the matrix were studies focused upon two areas identified as critical need for study - participation in postsecondary education of youth of minority cultural and linguistic status, and youth with significant and multiple disabilities, including cognitive disabilities

STRATEGIC PLAN OF RESEARCH - Framework for Sharing Findings & Implications

Phase I

1. Research Synthesis
2. National Survey of Current Practices
3. National Focus Groups of Youth with Disabilities
4. Cases Descriptions of Youth with Disabilities
5. National Forum

Phase II

	Secondary Education Preparation and Transition	Access Retention and Participation in Postsecondary Education	Transfer to Subsequent Employment
Self-Determination and Advocacy
Services, Supports and Accommodations; Including Use of Technology
Interagency Coordination and Management of Supports

Phase III: Synthesis and Utility of Findings

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