Sample District Report

The status report of the (School District Name) Post High School Outcomes Survey of Individuals with Disabilities is summarized below. These results are detailed in an expanded version found in the next sections of this report. Data for the individual high schools is available upon request.

The status report focuses on students with disabilities who exited high school between December 2003 and December 2004. The results of the survey are organized around three areas of interest: The outcomes for each area are described below.

  Independent Living
  assesses residential arrangements and general community participation.

• 55% of the (school district name) respondents (53% statewide) continue to live at home with their parents.
• 31% of the (school district name) respondents (36% statewide) live independently.
• 84% of the (school district name) respondents (81% statewide) report getting together socially more than one time per week.

  Post Secondary Education
  includes any type of formal education program after high school.

• 54% of the (school district name) respondents (51% statewide) participate in postsecondary education.
• 35% of the (school district name) respondents (27% statewide) attend an academic (2-year or 4-year) college.
• 22% of the (school district name) respondents (24% statewide) of the respondents attend technical college.

  Employment
  includes competitive employment outside the home and compensation.

• 59% of the (school district name) respondents (69% statewide) are employed.
• 57% of the employed respondents (73% statewide) work more than 20 hours per week.
• 35% of the employed respondents (47% statewide) work more than 37 hours per week.
• 50% of the employed respondents (50% statewide) earn between $5.75 and $9.99 per hour.
• 23% of the employed respondents (22% statewide) earn more than $10.00 per hour.

Table 1 summarizes the major post high school outcomes for youth exiting high school by gender, ethnicity, and disability.

OUTCOMES BY SURVEY AREA

Independent Living

The independent living section contains responses to questions about students' residential arrangements and general community participation, including engagement in activities outside the home, residential independence, and social and civic activities. The ability to live on one's own is believed to be evidence of the ability of youth to perform many common adult tasks.

Living Arrangements

All 85 respondents were asked several questions related to their living arrangements.

Results:

• During the last year of high school, 84% of former students report they knew where they were going to live after high school. One year after exiting high school, 55% of the respondents continue to live with their parent(s). Of those students that live at home, students with cognitive disabilities (64%) are most likely to continue to live with their parents.
• One percent (1%) report owning their own home.
• 30% of survey respondents report living independently. Of the 17 respondents that live independently, 6 live alone, 5 live with another family member, 35 respondents live with a spouse or roommate and 1 is in the military. Fourteen percent (2/14) of students with cognitive disabilities live independently.

Interpretation:

The majority of students with disabilities (55%) continue to live with their parents one year after high school. However, almost 2/3 of these individuals are students with a cognitive disability.

Social / Recreation

Respondents were asked to identify how often they participated in social activities and the types of social activities in which they participated.

Results:

• Of the 35 respondents, 84% (84% statewide) report getting together socially with friends or family members (other than those they live with) more than once per week, 10% report they get together socially one or more times per month, and 3% indicate socializing less than one time per month.
• A majority of former students (91%) report participating in a leisure time activity such as going to a movie, theater, concert or sporting event within the past six months. Twenty-three percent (23%) have participated in a community service activity (i.e. Lions, 4-H, Habitat for Humanity), 35% attend religious activities (i.e. church services/events). And 38% have voted in the past 6 months. The NLTS results indicate that nationally, nearly 82% of youth regularly participate in social activities (Wagner, Blackorby, Cameto and Newman, 1993).
• The majority of respondents (66%, 67% statewide) have a valid driver's license (another 4% have a suspended license), 20% (14% statewide) do not have a license but planned to obtain one, 6% do not have a valid license and do not plan to obtain one, and 3% report being medically restricted from obtaining a driver's license. Some young adults (15%) indicate getting a ride to a social event is a barrier to their participation.

Interpretation

• Is above the national average regarding former students participating in leisure time activities.
• Is consistent with the state average regarding former graduates having a driver's license and the frequency in which former students get together socially with family and friends.
• Respondents were provided with a limited list of specific leisure time activities and this may have influenced the respondents' response to participating in leisure time activities.

Participation in Postsecondary Education

While students are still in high school, it is important to plan for post secondary education if it is the student's intent to continue their education.

Results:

• 51% attend or have attended some type of postsecondary training
• Of the 35 respondents, 69% of students had the intention in high school to begin employment full-time rather than pursue post secondary training following graduation (47% full-time and 22% part-time).
• Technical college is most often attended (24%), followed by a 4-year college (15%) and a 2-year college (12%)
• 44% use some type of accommodation or assistive technology.
• 48% of youth do not disclose their disability to anyone at their place of postsecondary training

Interpretation:

• Fewer students actually attended postsecondary education than had the intention of attending some post secondary training while in high school.

Postsecondary Education Recommendations

• Students need to develop better self-advocacy skills so they can receive support during post-secondary education, especially in the area of accommodations.
• Districts should provide teachers with a curriculum to teach students self-determination skills they can utilize in post secondary situations.
• Students need to be aware of various types of accommodations and AT equipment that can be used in post secondary education.

Employment

Two outcomes of employment were considered: (1) whether the former student held a competitive job outside the home for which he or she was paid, and (2) the compensation and benefits the youth received for their work. For this study, employment was identified as working for pay. Underemployment was identified as earning less than $8.00 per hour and working less than 20 hours per week of paid employment. On the national level, 55% of youth with disabilities were competitively employed when they had been out of high school for up to three years (NLTS, 1993).

Paid Employment

Results:

• 69% of former students are employed for pay.
  
• 45% have received a raise in pay and 41% receive benefits
  
• A higher percentage of males and white youth earn between $8 and $15 than do females or minority youth
• The majority (34%) of youth has maintained their job for more than one year following high school exit
• The majority (47%) of youth works more than 37 hours per week and earns between $5.75 and $9.99 per hour (53%)

Interpretations:

• Students with learning disabilities are most likely to receive both a raise and benefits.
• Students with cognitive disabilities are most likely to be employed, thus indicating a positive job performance, yet least likely to receive benefits.
• Wisconsin is above the national average regarding former students being employed for pay.

Employment Recommendations

• Increasing vocational exploration and paid high school work experience opportunities is a need for students with disabilities.
• Staff would benefit from job development training and knowledge of the types of skills students need to remain employed.
• Schools need to address the amount of staff time allocated for placing students in community work experiences. Job development and the provision of support to students to remain employed is time intensive. Frequent contact should be made with employers at the worksite and in school to gain a better understanding of student skills/abilities and increase the student's employability and vocational experiences.
• The community has a significant amount of employment resources the district can network with to increase employment options. Sharing of resources throughout the district to eliminate duplication can aid staff and employers in making appropriate job placements for students.

Conclusion