Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services on employment outcomes.
- The study uses a nonexperimental design to compare employment outcomes of youth with disabilities based on the types of VR services they received during high school.
- The study found that receiving job placement services, job search assistance, and vocational rehabilitation and guidance had statistically significant relationships with employment.
- This study receives a low evidence rating. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services
Features of the Intervention
As a requirement of Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency works with school districts to provide services to youth with disabilities. The VR program is designed to provide youth with disabilities with services to help them transition from high school to employment and/or post-secondary education. The study focused on a VR agency located in the midwestern area of the United States that provided VR services to students with disabilities attending a large urban public school district. Youth with disabilities were referred to the VR by their high school. If youth were found eligible and were accepted for VR services, they received an individualized plan for employment (IPE) and other related services. Before a youth received an IPE, the VR program might have the youth participate in trial work to determine if they were eligible for work. To receive a contractual transition outcome, youth in the program had to work at least 60 calendar days and 240 hours.
Features of the Study
The study uses a nonexperimental design to compare employment outcomes of youth with disabilities based on the types of VR services they received during high school. The primary data source was the VR agency's administrative data. The study participants were youth with disabilities who were enrolled in an urban public school district in the Midwest and received VR services between fiscal years 2005 and 2012. The sample was restricted to those youth for whom outcomes data as adults was available in the VR system. In total, the sample included 4,731 cases of youth with disabilities. Youth with disabilities with a rehabilitated status were compared to those with non-rehabilitated status at the time their case was closed. The non-rehabilitated group consisted of youth who were accepted for the VR program and received an IPE and services but whose case was closed before achieving rehabilitation status.
Findings
Employment
- The study found statistically significant relationship between three types of VR services and the employment outcomes of youth with disabilities. Youth with disabilities who received job placement services, job search assistance, or vocational rehabilitation and guidance were more likely to have successful VR employment outcomes.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
In their regression model, the authors controlled for gender and race/ethnicity. The authors do not account for age as required by the study protocol. These preexisting differences between the groups—and not VR services—could explain the observed differences in outcomes. Therefore, the study is not eligible for a moderate causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for nonexperimental designs.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services; other factors are likely to have contributed.