"Roughly one in seven U.S. high school students has an identified disability and is entitled to special education services. Career and Technical Education (CTE) offers these students a dual benefit: industry-aligned training that can lead directly to employment or serve as a springboard to college. Recent studies show that students who concentrate in CTE graduate at significantly higher rates than similar peers. Still, closing post-school gap - graduation, employment, and independent living - remains a central goal for educators of students with identified disabilities (SWD). We know relatively little about which SWD enroll in CTE, the programs they choose, and how those choices affect their long-term outcomes.

Although the research base on CTE for students with identified disabilities is relatively limited, several studies offer important insights. Earlier work on school-to-work and transition programs for SWD found that structured work-based learning can improve employment outcomes, build career development skills, and strengthen autonomy and self-efficacy. More recent studies focused on modern CTE programs suggest that CTE participation can support high school completion for SWD. However, these benefits are not evenly distributed. Outcomes often differ by identified disability type, and SWD may be less likely to access higher-paying CTE pathways such as information technology and health sciences.

This issue brief draws on research from the Career & Technical Education Policy Exchange (CTEx), a multi-state research partnership that links longitudinal student records with detailed CTE participation data. These data allow for cross-state comparisons using consistent definitions, helping to clarify how CTE access and outcomes differ for students with identified disabilities. Using records from CTEx partner states, we describe how participation varies between SWD and their peers, how outcomes differ by concentrator status, and how identified disability type shapes both access and results."