There's a new Easter Seal study that's just been released. The information I received about the study highlighted what the study learned from parents of adults with disabilities - the challenges that people with disabilities face and the concerns of their parents. The study reported:

In every measure of comparison, we found parents of adult children with disabilities had significantly higher levels of concern for their children than parents of adult children without disabilities. There is a consistent, notable gap between the two groups across every aspect of life.

However, as I looked through the Key Findings Report of the study, I found they also included responses from 400 adults who have disabilities. These adults had higher levels of education and were older than the children of the parents who participated in the survey. They found some interesting responses:

• 59% of adults with disabilities classify the quality of their life asexcellent or good
• Strong majorities of adults with disabilities are independent in theirlife decisions, finances, and living situations, have transportation andmobility in the community, and feel adequately prepared for life
• Most adults with disabilities own/rent their own home and liveindependently (82%) and another 45% have a life partner/spouse
• The vast majority of adults with disabilities feel their educationprepared them, either a little or a lot, for gainful employment (81%)and living independently (70%)
• A strong majority of adults (85%) with disabilities mostly or alwaysattended mainstream classes when attending school

The Key Findings went on to report:

Of those surveyed, adults with disabilities are primarily concerned with their future financial well-being, health, and quality of life and less concerned with longevity, friendships, and education. And the fears most commonly cited, if any, by adults with disabilities regarding their parent or guardian dying are emotional stability (33%), quality of life (29%), receiving necessary support (27%), and living situation (27%).

Yet, given adults with disabilities education, independence, quality of life, and ability to access to transportation, only 47% of adults withdisabilities are employed, 42% are unemployed statistics far from the overall average unemployment rate. Two-thirds of adults with disabilities (66%) feel their employment situation is a good fit with their capabilities, while 34% feel they are under-employed and capable of more.

There's much more information to be found in this study. I'd like to know what you think about the findings. Do these finding reflect your experience? More importantly, do they have an effect on your hopes, dreams, and plans for your future or the future of someone you know who has disabilities? How can we use this information to build lives that include independence, choice, and a high quality of life? Please share your thoughts with us.

The report can be found at: Easter Seals Living with Disabilities Study