Special needs provision and economic independence among young adults with disabilities: A longitudinal study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study, inspired by a life course approach, examines how former students with special educational needs that were met with different types of support, succeed in finding employment with sufficient pay to sustain livelihood and, thus, made themselves economically independent. The individuals in the sample (N = 295) are a part of a Norwegian research project that has lasted for 20 years. The study participants’ difficulties and their special needs and the provision made to meet those needs were recorded when they were 16–17 years old. Beyond their teens, they reported the information about themselves every fifth year until their mid-thirties. At that age, more than half were economically independent. Logistic regression analysis revealed that independent variables in the analytic model influence economic independence in various ways. The main conclusion was that the use of teacher assistants and much special pedagogical teaching do not contribute to long-term economic independence Other factors, including changes in the life course after leaving secondary school, vocational or academic competence registered when the individuals were in their late twenties and the birth of their first child seem to be of greater importance. Yet other factors, such as gender and functional level seem to be decisive.