Describing Cohort Differences in College Attendance and Employment among Young Adults with Disabilities

Over the past forty years, the U.S. has seen the passage of several significant pieces of legislation aimed at improving educational and employment outcomes among people with disabilities. Current trends show that, while the share of working-aged adults with disabilities who have obtained at least some post-secondary education has doubled, the share who are working has fallen sharply. This study examines whether cohorts of young adults with disabilities -- that is, those who have come of age under different sets of policy and institutional regimes -- demonstrate important variations in education and employment outcomes that period trends disguise.