Young people with intellectual disability speak out about life after school: “I want to do more in life than just…be a disability person”

ABSTRACT

Background:

The transition from school to adult life is challenging for young people with intellectual disability. The study aimed to explore how young people with intellectual disability themselves experience the transition from school to adult life.

Methods:

A co-designed, qualitative study. Thematic data analysis of qualitative survey responses, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups with 27 young people with intellectual disability in three Australian states.

Results:

Participants found transition planning at school inconsistent or lacking and felt excluded from decision-making about their lives. Accessing meaningful services, training, and employment beyond volunteering was challenging and enduring, leaving participants in perpetual state of transition, feeling lost, and missing out of post-school adult milestones.

Conclusions:

Policy, system, and service gaps must be addressed with a nationally consistent and accountable approach that truly supports choice and control for young people with intellectual disability in transitioning from school into meaningful adult lives.

KEYWORDS:

• Intellectual disability
• transition
• choice and control
• post-school
• school
• employment

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the young people who participated in this study who so generously shared their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Technical and further education (TAFE) is a vocational training provider run by each state government in Australia. Vocational education and training is study that offers opportunities to learn specific and practical job skills. https://www.futurityinvest.com.au/insights/futurity-blog/2022/03/30/tafe-or-uni

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Endeavour Foundation Disability Research Grant.