Impact: Feature issue on young adults with disabilities and social security administration employment support programs (vol. 15, no. 1)

2003

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"Unemployment rates for working-age adults with disabilities have hovered at the 70 percent level for at least the past 12 years" notes the Executive Summary of the Bush Administration's New Freedom Initiative. The initiative, launched a year ago, expresses a strong federal commitment to removing remaining barriers to employment and all other aspects of community living for persons with disabilities. One priority is "swift implementation" of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. This act created incentives and opportunities for individuals with disabilities to receive the services and other supports needed to access education and employment options. The provisions of the act, in combination with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), have the potential to help transition-age young people become valued employees and contributing community members. One of the barriers that remains to realizing that goal is lack of adequate understanding about these programs. This Impact seeks to address that need for greater understanding of these federal employment support programs and incentives, and to open the doors for more young people to utilize them as they move into adult life.

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