After age 21, young adults with disabilities “age out” of the services and supports provided by law through the school system. Whatever help families living with disabilities may have received through childhood simply, and quite suddenly, goes away. Instead, families are often met with heightened concerns about their adult child’s immediate needs for employment, housing, independence, transportation, social interactions, recreation, healthcare, and financial security.
According to parents, nearly 7 in 10 adults with disabilities (69%) live with their parents or guardian.Approximately 4 in 10 parents of adult children with disabilities (36%) report their other children are planning to take care of their sibling with a disability when they die. Another 31% don’t know if their other children will step into that caregiver role. Guardianship for an adult with a disability most commonly falls to another family member (37%), or his/her other parent (25%), or his/her sibling (20%) in the event the primary caregiver is no longer able to provide care. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of parents state they do not have a life care plan for their adult child with a disability.
Parents of adults with disabilities have far greater levels of concern about their son or daughters’ future across many areas of life, compared to parents of adults without disabilities. They are extremely or very concerned about:
• Financial well-being (52% vs. 22%)
• Quality of life (48% vs. 14%)
• Employment (47% vs. 17%)
• Housing needs (46% vs. 13%)
• Independence (45% vs. 14%)
• Build or have meaningful friendships (41% vs. 10%)
• Health (38% vs. 15%)
• Longevity of life (29% vs. 11%)
• Education (23% vs. 13%)
• Only 45% of parents strongly agree their adult child with a disability will always have a place to live; whereas, 75% of parents of adult children without a disability strongly agree.
• When considering overall life skills and ability to live independently, 62% of parents strongly or somewhat disagree their adult child with a disability can take care of themselves; conversely, 83% of more typical parents strongly or somewhat agree their adult child can.
*Source- Easter Seals Living With Disabilities Study
Articles
http://oakwealth.com/wp-content/uploads /2013/11/Easter_Seals_Living_with_ Disabilities_Summary.pdf
http://cfi.ucp.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2015/07/UCP_2015_CaseforInclusion_FINAL.pdf
https://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/ default/files/housing_tool_kit_web2.pdf
