Journal of Disability Policy Studies current issue

School-to-Work Transition Programs Within Third-Party Government: A Process-Based Organizational Analysis

Downs, A., Carlon, D. M. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:01 PST

The authors investigated third-party government, that is, the realignment of public sector agencies from "service providers" to "service managers." Using a model developed in studies of multinational corporations, the authors examined key processes within school-to-work transition programs for students with developmental disabilities. The findings suggest substantial variations among processes in agencies providing transition services. Transition programs exhibited traditional, hierarchical, bureaucratic structures, as well as flattened, horizontal, and networked structures. The variation and flexibility apparent in these structures are consistent with changes in both the policies that govern the delivery of services as well as the practice of implementing person-centered planning.

The Effects of State Policy Decisions on the Employment and Earnings of Medicaid Buy-In Participants in 2006

Ireys, H. T., Gimm, G., Liu, S. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:01 PST

This article examines the Medicaid Buy-In program, so named because workers with disabilities "buy into" Medicaid coverage with monthly premiums. In 2006, 97,491 individuals were enrolled in 32 state Buy-In programs. States have taken different pathways toward the program’s dual objectives: expanding Medicaid coverage to vulnerable populations and promoting employment of working-age adults with disabilities. Analyses indicate that (a) some states appear to have accomplished both objectives, whereas other states have emphasized one over the other, and that (b) certain program features (e.g., higher earned income limits) contribute to both larger percentages of Buy-In participants who are employed and higher earnings of employed participants. The authors’ findings have implications for Buy-In design and the study of federalism in health care.

Elementary School Placements of African American Students Who Are Profoundly Deaf

Wilkens, C. P. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:01 PST

Data from the third wave (2003—2004) of the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study are used to generate nationally representative estimates of current school and classroom placements of elementary school—aged students who are African American and profoundly deaf. These students are found to have less access to regular schools and less access to typical classroom placements within schools than their White peers.

Trends in the Relative Household Income of Working-Age Men With Work Limitations: Correcting the Record Using Internal Current Population Survey Data

Burkhauser, R. V., Larrimore, J. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:01 PST

Policy makers relying on public-use Current Population Survey (CPS) data to measure the success of government policies in overcoming the gap in economic well-being between working-age men with and without disabilities will understate the mean income of both and overstate the relative economic well-being of the former. This understatement results from topcoding in the public-use CPS, which suppresses top incomes in the data set. Using cell means with the public-use CPS, the authors better correct for these topcoding problems than alternate methods and provide a relative economic well-being series (1980—2006) based on the mean incomes of working-age men with and without disabilities.

Factors Affecting Vocational Rehabilitation Intervention Outcomes: The Case for Minorities With Disabilities

Mwachofi, A. K., Broyles, R., Khaliq, A. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:02 PST

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) services are designed to help individuals with disabilities achieve gainful employment. This study examines VR’s effectiveness in assisting minorities achieve gainful employment. The study uses case management data from 617,149 cases closed by VR in 2006 in all states. It examines differences in access, employment, and earnings for White and ethnic minority clients. Multivariate techniques are used to assess factors that influence competitive employment outcomes, hourly earnings, and hours worked. Findings show significant differences in employment and earnings outcomes for minority and majority clients, with minorities faring worse. VR intervention length and per capita expenditures for services significantly influence employment and earnings outcomes. VR is more effective with White than with minority clients. There is a need to implement policies or practices that ensure equity in access to services that might translate into more equitable employment and earnings outcomes.

Use of Workload Analysis for Caseload Establishment in the Recruitment and Retention of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists

Woltmann, J., Camron, S. C. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:02 PST

Personnel shortages have been a persistent challenge in the field of special education. In particular, shortages in the ranks of speech-language pathologists have been acute for many years. The inability to recruit and retain speech-language pathologists may result in underserving a vulnerable and growing student population. Although there are various reasons for these shortages, a predominant rationale has been poor working conditions, especially large, unmanageable caseloads and increasing administrative paperwork requirements. Proponents of a new methodology for establishing caseload configurations, called workload analysis, claim that this will improve recruitment and retention of speech-language pathologists. This article considers the source, application of, and empirical evidence relating to workload analysis. The conclusion is that there is insufficient evidence to support the claims. A direction for further research on the issue is presented.

A Comparison of Disabled Veteran and Nonveteran Income: Time to Revise the Law?

Fulton, L. V., Belote, J. M., Brooks, M. S., Coppola, M. N. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:02 PST

This study evaluates disabled veteran compensation law against its stated objective, equalizing the pay differential associated with disability. The significance of this study is that it provides insight into the efficacy of disabled veteran compensation policy, which derives from tables listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (38 CFR 4). In some cases, these tables have not been updated since 1945. Through regression analysis, personal income (appropriately transformed) is modeled as a function of four variable blocks (demographics, education, geographical, and veteran-related) using secondary data from the 2007 American Community Survey. The population includes working-age adults ages 18 to 64 (n = 1.8 million, representing N = 190 million U.S. citizens). Regression captured 37.2% of the variance in personal income. Veteran-related variables (entered last into the model) accounted for 2.2% of the unique variance. The sample size guaranteed statistical significance, but the analysis proved practically relevant. Disabled veteran status had a large and negative effect, especially as the number of disabilities increased. The results suggest that disabled veterans who have multiple categories of disabilities do not receive income on par with society or with disabled nonveterans reporting the same number of disabilities. This finding provides evidence that 38 CFR 4 is ineffective.