The Impact of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act on Agency-Level Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes for Adults and Youth With Blindness and Low Vision

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on outcomes (competitive employment rates and median earnings) for adult and youth vocational rehabilitation consumers with blindness or low vision (B/LV) and to determine whether impacts differed by agency type. We utilized RSA-911 data to create two agency-level longitudinal datasets, one for youth and one for adults, with 6-year pre-WIOA and 3-year post-WIOA periods. Data were analyzed using discontinuous growth modeling to assess longitudinal changes in agency-level outcomes through the inclusion of variables representing WIOA and subsequent change in response to WIOA. After WIOA, both youth and adult agency-level competitive employment rates decreased significantly for consumers with B/LV, with a larger impact on youth, and median earnings increased. Results document that the impact of WIOA on agencies varied widely. Separate agencies had a significant decrease in adult competitive employment rates for consumers with B/LV and a significant increase in median earnings compared with combined agencies. Overall, the influence of WIOA on B/LV consumer outcomes appears to be mixed at best, and the effect is surprisingly similar for youth and adults.