At the intersection of disability and transitioning to adulthood: service receipt by disability type among youth in foster care

Melissa L. Villodas, JoAnn S. Lee, Gilbert Gimm, Chloe Pilkerton

This study examined the relationship between disability type and service receipt among U.S. transition-age youth aging out of foster care, a population in which 53% have a diagnosed disability, using FY 2017 data from the National Youth in Transition Database merged with AFCARS for 9,353 cases across all U.S. states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Analyses of education, employment, independent living, and social services across ages 16–17, 18–19, and 20–21 found that while service use increased overall by ages 18–19, notable disparities by disability status and type emerged by ages 20–21, with youth with disabilities more likely to receive special education and mentoring, youth without diagnosed disabilities more likely to receive room and board assistance, and varying patterns of broader service use depending on disability type, highlighting the need for more equitable, tailored supports and further research into the causes of these divergences.