‘Close the door on your way out’: parent perspectives on supported transition planning for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Ireland

Abstract

Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities encounter complex and circuitous transitions from post‐primary settings to Higher Education. In Ireland, inequitable access to Individual Education Plans, and a lack of policy infrastructure to provide formal transition planning, means that these journeys are varied and uncertain. This study presents findings from surveys completed by parents supporting students with disabilities in their final 3 years of mainstream secondary school (n = 69), and in‐depth interviews with a self‐selected subset of parents (n = 8). Results point to: (i) disparate levels and quality of support and guidance, (ii) fissures in communication channels between parents and schools, (iii) insufficient awareness and understanding of the interplay between disability and successful post‐school outcomes, and (iv) high levels of stress, anxiety and frustration experienced by students, parents and carers.

The Elusive Inclusive University: What Does This Look Like for Students With Intellectual Disability? An Irish Perspective

“…In addition, commencing the planning process early and having access to support such as a guidance counselor, as well as listening to the student's voice, also support transition (Bell, Devecchi, Guckin, & Shevlin, 2017). Students may face difficulty in transitioning due to low expectations of transition (Doyle, McGuckin, & Shevlin, 2017; Walk, 2015), noncompletion of the second level (Dale, 2010) and emotional barriers (Barnes‐Holmes, Scanlon, Desmond, Shevlin, & Vahey, 2013).…”

“…In Ireland, these changes are acknowledged within the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (EPSEN; Government of Ireland, 2004), which provides mainstream education for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) at the primary and secondary level. However, a key facilitator for transition to education beyond the second level is supported by the early commencement of Individual Education Plans (IEPs); however, these are not yet mandatory and not available to all students with SEN (Doyle et al, 2017). The National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (2016–2019) states that equality of access to higher education is a “national priority” and a fundamental goal of the Higher Education Authority (HEA, 2015).…”

“…In addition to the traditional access routes, and structures and systems of the field effectively excluding people with ID from the university space more generally, overall engagement with the goal of transitioning people with ID to higher education is generally neither expected nor planned (Doyle et al, 2017). This links with the second element of Bourdieu's theory—that of habitus.…”

“…Do people with ID and their families perceive the university as a space to which they rightfully should have access? Low expectations and lack of appropriate supports contribute to noncompletion of secondary school and as a result, nonprogression to the third level persists for many students with ID (Doyle et al, 2017; Walk, 2015).…”

Transition stories: Voices of school leavers with intellectual disabilities

“…Importantly, the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education [EASNE] (2018) observe that: "The nature of the curriculum can either limit or increase opportunities for young people with disabilities to be employed" (p. 15), while students with disabilities from mainstream settings obtain better academic outcomes than their peers from special schools which ultimately impacts on employment opportunities (Batevik & Myklebust, 2006;Myklebust & Batevik, 2005;Webb & Walsh, 2011). Thus, young people with disabilities leaving special school contexts are at a disadvantage, facing many more barriers to accessing the same opportunities in FE/TE than their disabled and nondisabled peers who have attended mainstream settings (Doyle et al, 2017;Gillan & Coughlan, 2010;McGuckin et al, 2013). For example, the absence of specific modules and targeted career guidance in the last two years of school reduces access to developing employment readiness skills and to transition resources (Shogren & Plotner, 2012).…”