Young Disabled People: Aspirations, Choices and Constraints

Recent policies and government initiatives, in many Western countries, have strengthened the expectation that young disabled people have the right to be involved in decisions that affect their futures, including in education and employment. This important book examines the career-related decisions and aspirations of young disabled people and explores the relationships, policies and social structures that determine the extent to which they will achieve their goals.The book is based on research, funded by the European Social Fund, with young disabled people, aged between thirteen and twenty three, in full-time education. It presents their stories about making transitions and choices for their occupational futures. Parts of the research has already had influence in British government, informing the preparation of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People (2005). This book makes all of the research available to a broader audience.The author offers a comparison between young disabled people in special and mainstream education, looking at the origins of their career-related decisions, their perceptions of how they will achieve their goals and the structures that might enable or constrain them. These include factors like disabling barriers (physical, social and attitudinal), impairment, friends, family background, educational opportunities, government policy and the expectations of others.Young Disabled People: Aspirations, Choices and Constraints will be essential reading for academics in the fields of education, disability studies and employment policy. It will also be valuable to policy makers and teaching and careers professionals.

Sonali Shah is Nuffield Research Fellow at the Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK.