Trends in outcomes of the vocational rehabilitation program for adults with developmental disabilities: 1995-2005

This article describes national trends in outcomes of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program, with a focus on adults with developmental disabilities during the period of 1995 to 2005. Findings show that the VR program has made substantial progress in excluding extended employment from the array of possible employment closures. Efforts are needed, however, to increase the number of people placed in integrated employment and the earnings at closure while reducing the time frame from application to closure. The study suggests that to achieve these results, practices that lead to above-average outcomes should be identified and disseminated to agencies that show below-average outcomes; the Rehabilitation Act should be rigorously interpreted to prioritize self-sufficiency of VR recipients; and data management should be enhanced through better performance measurement and rapid reporting to state VR agencies.