Report ZG in beeld: Research on the employment and educational outcomes of people with a sensory disability in the Netherlands

Research on the employment and educational outcomes of people with a sensory disability in the Netherlands has often relied on self-reported data from interviews and surveys. As a result, there has been limited large-scale insight into the educational and labour market position of people with visual impairments, deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and people with developmental language disorder.
The ZG in Beeld report addressed this gap by using non-public national microdata from Statistics Netherlands. The study examined employment and educational outcomes of three groups who claimed sensory disability care between 2015 and 2019: people with visual impairments (VI claimants; n = 61,954), deaf and hard-of-hearing people (DHH claimants; n = 5,609), and people with developmental language disorder (TOS claimants; n = 17,375). Outcomes were compared with both the general Dutch population and a matched Dutch population.
The findings revealed important inequalities across all groups. Differences were found in employment participation, wages, work sectors, educational attainment, and transitions from school to work. By combining large-scale administrative data on education and employment, the report provides one of the most comprehensive overviews to date of labour market and educational outcomes for people with sensory disabilities in the Netherlands.
The findings underline the importance of targeted policies and interventions that support equal opportunities in education and employment, sustainable participation in society, and improved long-term outcomes for people with sensory disabilities.

Reference: Heppe, E., Cornelisz, I., van Klaveren, C., & van Dommelen, T. (2022). ZG in Beeld: Arbeidsmarkt- en onderwijsuitkomsten van personen met een zintuiglijke beperking die Zvw ZG-zorg hebben gedeclareerd in de periode 2015 t/m 2019. Koninklijke Kentalis.