MENTAL RETARDATION VOLUME 40, NUMBER 2: 132-141 APRIL 2002 132 American Association on Mental Retardation Employment and Income Status of Adults With Developmental Disabilities Living in the Community Kiyoshi Yamaki and Glenn T. Fujiura Abstract A comprehensive national portrait of employment and income status of adults with developmental disabilities was estimated through secondary analyses of the 1990 and the 1991 Survey of Income and Program Participation. Results indicate that the majority of adults with developmental dis- abilities had very limited economic resources, even when earnings from employment and benefits from governmental income support programs were both included. The minority, who worked in a variety of occupations, were earning higher incomes than previous estimates. The overwhelming majority were unemployed. Implications of the low-income profile and potential underutilization of employment services was discussed. The present study represents the first popula- tion-based profile of the employment and income status of adults with developmental disabilities. The intent of the profile is to provide a clearer under- standing of the economic status of adults with de- velopmental disabilities at the national level and the roles of employment and governmental income support programs on income status. Over 15 years have passed since federal legis- lation relating to persons with developmental dis- abilities began to place a high priority on employ- ment-related services. The 1984 Developmental Disabilities Act Amendments (1984), for example, set the employment services as a major priority area (Rusch & Hughes, 1990). Supported employment programs, that were authorized by the Rehabilita- tion Act Amendments (1986), have been a com- mon employment option to sheltered employment (e.g., Wehman, Revell, & Kregel, 1998). Federal legislation, such as the Americans With Disabilities Act (1990) and the Rehabilitation Act Amend- ments (1992), continues to emphasize employment opportunities for people with a disability. Most re- cently, the reauthorized Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (2000) maintains the emphasis on employment as a life goal activity area. Despite the priority, we know very little on a national basis about the employment status of Americans with developmental disabilities. For a variety of reasons, the available literature provides only limited information. Of the available large- population research, the core samples have been those people already in the service system (e.g., Butterworth, Gilmore, Kiernan, & Schalock, 1999; Mank, Cioffi, & Yovanoff, 1997; Wehman et al., 1998). Those who were not known to the system were excluded from the studies. Relatedly, the sub- stantial research literature on employment out- comes has been conducted on specific programs, typically with small sample sizes (e.g., Levy et al., 1994) or a limited geographical coverage (e.g., Blanck, 1996). Only a few studies (e.g., Butterworth et al., 1999; Wehman et al., 1998) allow us to gen- eralize findings to a national level. Finally, research- ers typically devoted minimum attention to the im- pact of employment on an individual’s overall in- come status. A significant number of persons with developmental disabilities utilize income support programs (Boggs, 1994; Braddock, 1987; U.S. Gen- eral Accounting Office, 1995). Outcomes of em- ployment programs are, however, often reported as the change in earned income associated with a par- ticular type of employment training (e.g., Kregel, Wehman, & Banks, 1989; Schalock, McGaughey, & Kiernan, 1989; Thompson, Powers, & Houchard,