A Review of Commonly-Used State Employment Measures in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services - Policy Research Brief

Oct 15, 2026

This policy research brief summarizes publicly available data sources used to measure employment outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It explains each source’s purpose, key definitions, and how to access the data, then conducts a state-by-state comparison to characterize the employment landscape. The brief highlights findings on widely used measures, discusses implications for policy, practice, and research, and outlines limitations of the data. Analyses draw on data gathered in 2010 and 2011.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methodology

Findings

Commonly-Used Data Sources for State Employment Measures

Policy Research Brief RTOERNSEAICANORCH ANDING CENTERMMUNITY LIVING UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA A Review of Commonly-Used State Employment Measures in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services This Policy Research Brief summarizes publicly-available data sources that provide information about the employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides important information about these data sources, including their purposes, key definitions, and where to access the public data. Using these data sources, a state-bystate comparison of employment outcomes is conducted to provide readers with a picture of the employment landscape for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Finally, a discussion about how the data can be used, and the limitations of the data, is provided. The analysis was conducted at the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC) . It reviews data gathered in 2010 and 2011. This brief was authored by Derek Nord, Ph.D., Research Associate at the RTC. The study was supported by Grant \#H133B080005 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, to the RTC. For further information, please [contact Derek Nord at nord0364@umn.edu](contact Derek Nord at nord0364@umn.edu). Introduction There is wide agreement that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are underrepresented in the general workforce (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities & The Arc of the United States, 2008; Migliore, Mank, Grossi, & Rogan, 2007) . Often framedas Employment First, there is renewed focus and energy to improve the employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationally. As a current grassroots movement, Employment First aims to increase the employment of people with disabilities through changes in policy, practices, and expectations of the disability support system and many other stakeholders, including people with disabilities and their family members. Employment First seeks to make employment in the community alongside employees without disabilities, earning minimum or prevailing wage, the first and preferred outcome for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Niemiec, Lavin, & Owens, 2009; Kiernan, Hoff, Freeze, & Mank, 2011) . The Employment First movement is gaining momentum. Employment First policies affecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been legislatively passed or administratively approved in 18 states, and many other states have ongoing initiatives but no official policy at this time (Hoff, 2012) . At the national level, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently issued updated employment and service definitions, as well as guidance to inform states about how 1915(c) Waivers can be used to increase the employment of Waiver recipients (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011), many of whom have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The National Governors Association (2012) also announced an initiative to increase the employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by supporting state policy leaders in assessing and developing more employment effective policies. Current employment data is an effective ally in advocating for and making policy changes. To understand the current status of employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to inform the future direction of intellectual and developmental disability services and supports across the country, numerous state data sources have been used by policymakers, state agency leadership, and A summary of research on policy issues affecting persons with developmental disabilities. Published by the Research and Training Center on Community Living, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota. researchers. A challenge w

FAQs

What is the purpose of this policy research brief?

It provides an overview of commonly used state employment outcome measures in intellectual and developmental disability services, including their purposes, definitions, and how to access the underlying public data.

How were the data sources selected in the review?

Sources were included if they provide adult employment outcomes for intellectual/developmental/cognitive disabilities, report aggregated state-level data, and are publicly accessible and widely used in policy and research.

What time period and analysis approach does the brief use?

The review analyzes data gathered in 2010 and 2011, calculates state ranks for each measure, uses ties when outcomes match, and treats unavailable data as missing so states with missing values are not ranked.

Oct 15, 2026

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