From The Independent:

Students with learning disabilities in the UK have traditionally faced extremely limited job opportunities, but colleges are now working to change that. Orchard Hill College, a non-residential school for students with complex needs, deliberately moved to a more urban location in Surrey to get higher visibility for its students.

At first, some of the locals were a bit freaked out, admits Principal Caroline Allen. “It’s interesting because people now often tell us our students are ‘not as disabled’ as they thought. I think they probably are, but their preconceptions about how much people with disabilities can contribute were rather narrow.”

… There’s still a long way to go, believes Hugh Williams, director of education at Linkage College. “You still get people with learning disabilities put into stereotypical work like stacking shelves in supermarkets, but things are changing.”

Other schools are working at strengthening social skills, improving access to technology, involving students in the community, and facilitating work placement.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 5th, 2008 at 6:27 am and is filed under employment, inclusion, independent living, learning disabilities, post-secondary education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post