Future aspirations of students with severe learning disabilities and of their parents on leaving special schooling
✍ Scribed by Marisa Smyth; Roy McConkey
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 76 KB
- Volume
- 31
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1354-4187
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Summary
The majority of school‐leavers over 2 years from two special schools in Belfast were individually interviewed (n = 34) as were their parents (n = 37). The almost unanimous wish of the young people to have a job was not matched by the parents, although nearly half of the parents did express the wish that they would have at least part‐time work. The majority of young people and the parents envisaged living with the family albeit for different reasons. However, there was a strong emphasis on fostering the young person's independence and living with friends. Consequently, only a minority of families mentioned their son or daughter moving into traditional residential care settings. It is argued that it is not just the availability of services that need to increase in order to meet the aspirations of the young people and their parents; major changes are also needed in their form and function.