Parents with disabilities and their children experience disparities within the child welfare system. In response, states are increasingly enacting legislation to protect the rights of these families. As the first state to pass comprehensive legislation concerning parents with disabilities, Idaho serves as a model for other states. This mixed-methods study describes results from an online survey of Idaho professionals who interact with parents with disabilities involved with the child welfare system ( n = 52). Findings detail barriers to translating policy into practice in three areas: (a) knowledge and training, (b) perspectives about parents with disabilities, and (c) varied experiences working with disabled parents. To bridge the policy-to-practice gap, states should increase professional training about disabled parents and expand supports for these families.
The purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is to ensure that students with dis/abilities are provided equal educational opportunity (EEO) by guaranteeing the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Yet securing an appropriate, beneficial educational program has been undermined by procedural and substantive hurdles, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color students. We engaged in a multi-level analysis of the FAPE provision at the macro, meso, and micro levels involving the IDEA statutory provisions, school policies and practices, and the lived experiences of students with disabilities and their families. We present our findings thematically and offer recommendations for enhancing EEO for students with disabilities.
Long COVID is an emerging public health issue which may be disproportionately impacting adults who had disabilities before the COVID-19 pandemic. We use data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey to conduct multivariate analyses to compare the odds of having Long COVID among four different disability subpopulations and their working-age reference groups: 1) working-age Medicare beneficiaries, 2) single working-age adults without children who were receiving SSDI and/or SSI, 3) adults who had disabilities before the age of 22; and 4) adults with Veteran's Administration disability ratings. We find that people with disabilities that started before the age of 22 had significantly higher odds of ever having Long COVID (OR: 2.030, p=.007) compared to their reference group, holding all else constant. We did not find significant differences in the odds of ever having Long COVID for the other three sub-populations we identified. These findings point to the importance of ensuring that the systems that support the economic security, education, employment, and healthcare of people with disabilities with an onset before age 22 address this newly emerging concern.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on employment and workplaces. While the pandemic has been recognized as a universal experience, the disability community has been uniquely impacted by the pandemic in a variety of ways, including employment. Despite this unique positioning, little is known about how the pandemic influenced disability inclusion efforts in employment during this time. The purpose of this study was to explore how disability was considered within workplace pandemic responses from the perspectives of employees with and without disabilities involved in organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies. The research team conducted 21 semi-structured interviews and analyzed interview data using a framework analysis approach. Findings from semi-structured interviews highlight changes that occurred in the workplace due to the pandemic, how public health policies intersected with disability policies, impacts on workplace accommodations, and outlooks for future disability inclusion within workplace settings. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the experiences of employees with disabilities and offers insights into the relationship between disability experience and access in relation to the changing social, environmental, and cultural contexts of the pandemic. Furthermore, this study confirms the importance of centering disability perspectives in organizational strategies and public policies to address barriers, reduce disparities, and ultimately sustain and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities at work.
Given the broad nature of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973), it is likely that families and school professionals may have disputes about the receipt of accommodations. Although over a million children have Section 504 plans from their schools, to date, no research has examined family experiences with dispute resolution under Section 504. By characterizing families' experiences, targeted proactive, district- or state-level interventions can be developed to improve the formulaic conflict resolution process. This study explored family experiences with dispute resolution under Section 504. Ten mothers of children with Section 504 plans who engaged in dispute resolution procedures were interviewed for this study. Participants reported disputes often related to eligibility and the plan quality; several disputes related to the provision of individualized educational plans (IEPs) under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), the federal special education law. Most participants reported negative relationships with school professionals but positive relationships with other families of children with Section 504 plans, external service providers, advocates, and attorneys. While most participants reported favorable outcomes from the resolution process, they also often characterized the process as lengthy, frustrating, and costly. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Many individuals with psychiatric disabilities employed by work integration social enterprises (WISEs) rely on disability financial supports to supplement their income. However, little research has investigated the interconnections between WISE, disability support, and psychiatric disability. We draw on data from a qualitative study of employees, supervisors and administrators from seven WISEs in Ontario, Canada, to determine: (a) how does receipt of disability support impact the work experiences and choices of WISE workers? and (b) how does workers' receipt of disability support impact the business practices of WISEs? We find that the cap on employment income earned without triggering a reduction in benefits limits worker engagement and places WISEs in the difficult position of jeopardizing continuity of benefits while pursuing their mandate of encouraging participation in work. These findings illustrate how the structure and function of WISE are interconnected with the structure and function of disability support in ways that bring to light the tensions between their respective understandings of psychiatric disability.
Enrollment in federal and state government benefit programs is substantially lower for some eligible demographic subpopulations, particularly those living in rural areas. Barriers faced when seeking program benefits may, in part, explain differences in enrollment. This research seeks to identify barriers to information faced by prospective beneficiaries who are members of demographic groups who are historically underrepresented in programs such as Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability Programs. We report the results of a scoping review of the literature, including English language articles published on U.S.-specific programs between 2012 and 2025, with data collected since 2010. Following a robust scoping review process, we identified 19 articles that mentioned key phrases related to federal programs, communication, and rurality across four databases. To improve equitable access to government programs, agencies must address the following three themes that emerged from this review: Any changes to communication approaches will affect the public's knowledge and enrollment; community-specific context must be considered; and because some barriers are specific to communicating with rural residents and other underserved communities, disability program marketing should be sensitive to such barriers.
This study examined how states' maximum age criteria for receiving special education services were associated with subsequent outcomes of students with intellectual disabilities. These outcomes were all related specifically to exiting special education, including a high school diploma (regular or alternate, such as an industry credential), certificate of attendance, or dropping out. Section 618 data were utilized to examine this association, which is required to be collected via the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The results of this study indicate that an increase in states' maximum age criteria was associated with an increased percentage of diplomas but also increased percentage of drop outs as there was more opportunity for students to drop out versus age out. There was no association between an increase in states' maximum age criteria and the percentage of students who reached with the maximum age (aged out) without a diploma or certificate, which was not surprising given that many of the students who typically reach their state's maximum age criteria may have the most severe or highest need for supports. States should consider increasing their maximum age for special education services, at least for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Examining the practice through the lens of experts in the field is critical to understanding the challenges and benefits of the Universal Design for Learning framework implementation in education. This qualitative study utilized a method of keyword analysis, previously not commonly used in educational research, to examine the narratives of 19 experts in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) research on policy, measurement, and future research directions. The keyword analysis of data obtained from semi-structured interviews resulted in five themes. Discussion of those themes related to current literature in UDL and implications for future research and practice are offered.
Much dropout research has found that being diagnosed with specific learning disabilities increases the risk of dropping out of school. While previous studies have found mixed results for the impact of low socioeconomic status on dropouts among students with specific learning disabilities, they are not conclusive because of sample selection bias. We hypothesized that specific learning disabilities, in combination with poverty, can have the greatest impact on dropouts. We tested our hypothesis in Puerto Rico, where the percentage of the adult population without a high school diploma is double the proportion in the United States. We used individual data from all students in the Puerto Rico public education system during the period 2015 to 2021 and estimated a panel logistic regression with random effects. The mediating effect of poverty was statistically significant, and its associations with attrition were invariant to model specification. This research offers some recommendations to reduce school dropout.JEL Codes: I2, I21, I30
After decades of work to advance policy, research, and practice focused on self-determination for people with disabilities, the importance of self-determination is widely acknowledged in education and disability service systems. While the benefits of the growing recognition of the importance of self-determination have been many, there have also been some unintended consequences. One such consequence has been the de-centering of disabled leadership and subsequent confusion about whether the term self-determination refers to an outcome, a program, an intervention, a value, a right, or a movement. In this article, written by an inclusive team of authors, we invite readers to join us in reimagining self-determination, considering ways to further contextualize the concept of self-determination within the practical reality of its application. We offer a discussion of the necessity of continuing to center lived disability expertise and implications for policy, research, and practice in this reimagined approach to self-determination.
The hidden disabilities of students and staff in schools-which include medical and psychological conditions-have increased. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone in education is well versed in the law that protects them, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). The limited research indicates that teachers, school leaders, and other school employees lack Section 504 legal literacy. This article aims to increase awareness of hidden disabilities by explaining what they are and emphasize their significance through a discussion of anxiety, asthma, and allergies. It also intends to address the problem of the lack of Section 504 legal literacy by answering frequently asked questions about Section 504. University instructors, special education directors, and others are invited to share this relevant legal guidance to increase the legal literacy of their students and coworkers. Overall, this article hopes to ensure that students and employees with disabilities in schools-who are not eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-receive better support and lawsuits are prevented.
Research and scholarship find that the use of guardianship is increasing across the United States despite developments in law, legislation, and policy intended to protect individual rights and promote less restrictive alternatives. In Wyoming, there has long been talk of "ghost guardianships"-where adults are ordered into guardianship without being provided the due process rights and protections guaranteed by state law. This article presents the initial results of our review of all guardianship cases filed in Wyoming in 2021 to determine whether ghost guardianships are a widespread, system-wide problem. Our review finds that a substantial majority of Wyoming adult involuntary guardianship cases violated the due process rights of the proposed ward. In this article, we summarize research and scholarship into the potential dangers of guardianship and present our methodology, findings, and recommendations for ways Wyoming and other states may protect the rights of people facing guardianship.
Since 2014, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division have conducted investigations of individual school district's use of physical restraint and seclusion procedures. This report identifies the legal basis for these investigations, as well as common problems found across the districts as a result. It also describes common elements required in the resulting settlement agreements with school districts. Conclusions will address how school systems might evaluate and adjust practices related to restraint and seclusion based on these investigations and DOE recommendations.
In the United States, about two percent of working-aged adults experience vision difficulty, defined as blindness or "serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses." These individuals face barriers both to and within the labor market, leading to lower employment rates and reduced earnings compared to their counterparts without vision difficulty. For example, in our sample of 977,472 18- to 65-year-old women and 947,786 18- to 65-year-old men from the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS), women with vision difficulty are about 23 percentage points less likely to be employed than are women without vision difficulty; among men, the comparable gap is about 30 percentage points. Conditional on employment, on average, women with vision difficulty earn about 22% less than women without vision difficulty while men with vision difficulty earn about 29% less than men without. We estimate separate log earnings equations by gender and vision ability after controlling for selection into employment. We decompose earnings gaps into differential selection into employment, differences in human capital and other observable characteristics, and potential labor market discrimination. Our findings suggest that earnings gaps between individuals with and without vision difficulty are largely attributable to differences in educational attainment, differential selection into employment, and occupational segregation.
This study investigated the predictive relationships between high school STEM education and college application and STEM major choice for students with disabilities (SWD) compared with students without disabilities (SWOD). Social cognitive career theory was utilized to elucidate the predictive factors associated with career development. The sample was extracted from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, which included 1,361 SWD and 5,962 SWOD. The findings indicate that educational expectations consistently predicted college application and STEM major choices for SWD as well as for SWOD. Demographic variables such as race and socioeconomic status were not predictive, except for gender, which was shown to influence both SWD's and SWOD's decisions regarding whether to pursue a STEM major. Several suggestions to facilitate STEM education for SWD are presented.
This article used regression analysis of retrospective longitudinal data from the 2011 French Employment Survey to estimate the effect on educational attainment of different school settings across facilities and subgroups of children with disabilities. Controlling for impairments and sociodemographics, educational achievement was significantly lower for individuals who attended a special classroom, a special school, or, more markedly, did not attend any school as compared to those who attended only a general education classroom. However, interaction effects revealed that it was primarily for those with a cognitive impairment and those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds that special school outcomes were lower than general education outcomes. There was little or no difference for those with a major hearing impairment, a major mobility impairment, or disadvantaged backgrounds. These results call for careful attention to the diversity of facilities and audiences when evaluating the direct and indirect effects of educational policies on people with disabilities.
While previous research has examined usage patterns and impacts of the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), less is known about how families raising children with disabilities responded to the CTC. While it is well-established that these families face greater financial constraints than other families, their utilization of such public programs remains underexplored. Using a novel, two-wave probability-based panel survey of more than 1,700 CTC recipients, this study investigates financial hardships faced by families raising children with disabilities, and their use of the CTC. Findings reveal high rates of financial hardship among these families, with most facing at least one to two hardships and nearly a quarter experiencing more. The study supports literature linking increased hardship to greater financial risks, healthcare costs, and routine expenses faced by families raising children with disabilities. Furthermore, it quantifies the multiplicity of hardships, illustrating that these families often face multiple challenges simultaneously. The results contribute to the understanding of financial vulnerability among families with children with disabilities and offer insights into potential benefits and limitations of policy interventions like the CTC. Future research directions and implications for practice are discussed, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support mechanisms tailored to the unique needs of these families.
Patient employment at psychiatric institutions has been common in various forms in many Western countries. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of systematic research in this field. This study examines the history of this practice in Israel, from the establishment of the state in 1948 until the formal termination of patients' work by the Treatment of Mental Patients Law in 1991. Two methodological approaches are used in this study: 25 interviews with policymakers and mental health professionals; and analysis of documents including official government archives and the writings of psychiatric patients found in institution publications. The study examines specific types of employment that psychiatric patients performed and sheds light on the phenomenon's broader meaning for patients, policymakers, and mental health professionals, including the practical, ethical, financial, and political controversies it posed. As such, the study advances knowledge on the history of people with psychiatric disability and offers insights useful in settings such as therapeutic farms, which continue to employ psychiatric patients.
People with disabilities are increasingly becoming parents, but population estimates of parents with disabilities vary. Also, there is very little information about the life circumstances of parents with disabilities. This study uses the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data, 2016-2020, to explore the prevalence and life circumstances of disabled parents in the United States. Findings indicate that there are roughly 65.9 million parents in the United States, and about 4.4 million have a disability. Parents with any disability are more likely to live below 100% of the poverty line (27.30%) compared to nonparents with disabilities (17.74%), parents without disabilities (11.38%), or nonparents without disabilities (9.30%). Even after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and potentially protective factors such as program participation, the risk of poverty remains elevated (relative risk [RR] = 1.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.91-1.95, p < .001) for parents with any disability. Disparities persist across each of six disability types. Additional research is critical to inform program and policy development.
