Exploring Retirement for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: An Analysis of National Core Indicators Data

Abstract

To begin to understand retirement, we examined age-related differences in (a) employment rates, employment hours, and rates of individual-plan employment goals; and (b) participation rates in unpaid formal day programs. We report weighted analyses of 2014-15 National Core Indicators data from 32 states. Unlike younger age groups, a similar proportion of workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities continued working beyond age 65 as for the general community. We found that most workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities retire in older age and that their retirement appears to be sudden, rather than a gradual reduction in work hours. Facility-based day programs were the only program with an increased participation rate in older age groups, revealing an even greater reliance on facility-based services for older participants.

Aging, Community-Based Employment, Mobility Impairment, and Retirement: National Core Indicators–Adult Consumer Survey Data

“…NCI-ACS data are cross sectional, thus precluding causal inferences. Stancliffe et al (2018) noted that cross-sectional aging research can be subject to age cohort effects, especially for older participants who began working before community employment was as available. These workers may have remained in facility-based employment all their career.…”

“…Age and level of ID may also affect the different types of employment or day activities for individuals with ID. As noted, employment rates fall in older age groups (Bush & Tassé, 2017;Stancliffe et al, 2018), whereas mobility impairment is more prevalent in older age (Evenhuis, 1997;Evenhuis et al, 2012;Lehmann et al, 2013). Level of ID is significantly related to employment, with those with milder ID experiencing better community employment outcomes (Bush & Tassé, 2017).…”

“…Some people enter retirement by choice, after careful planning and supplementing income, whereas others are forced into retirement by poor health, job instability, or other circumstances (Stancliffe et al, 2017). Workers with IDD do retire (Stancliffe, Kramme, & Nye-Lengerman, 2018), but little is known about individuals’ ages at, or reasons for, retirement. Retirement represents a major life transition, so it is critical to examine the context of when, how, and why individuals with IDD retire.…”

“…Although there are low rates of individuals with IDD in paid community work, research suggests an age-related decline in employment among individuals with IDD (Stancliffe et al, 2018). Community-based employment is often referred to as competitive, integrated employment, which is employment in the general workforce at or above minimum wage (Hiersteiner, Butterworth, Bershadsky, & Bonardi, 2018).…”

Supporting Active Aging for Persons with Severe Disabilities and Their Families Across the Life Course

“…PCP for retirement for people with disabilities is needed to avoid a sudden change in daily living circumstances and settings. Adults with disabilities age above 65 logged fewer hours of community activities each week than others in the general population and usually abruptly retired, rather than doing so in gradual fashion (Stancliffe, Kramme, & Nye-Lengerman, 2018).…”