SOUNDING BOARD
What Happens When They Finish School? Most of us hold opinions on contemporary issues in work practice, in all its broad dimensions. Sounding Board is a regularfeature of this publication, designed to provide aforumfor expressing such views, whether mainstream or controversial. The opinions expressed in this section may not necessarily represent the views oj the editor, the publisher, or the editorial board, but are intended to stimulate discussion or to provoke a response. Readers who wish to comment on the ideas putforth in Sounding Board should address their comments to the editor.
Pat Nuse PraH, MOT, OTR, FAOTA Owner, Pat's Sewing Porch Gainesville, Georgia
In the mid-1970s the ideas and hopes for the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (PL 94-142) were new and exciting. Conversations and presentations with colleagues at professional meetings were full of plans for providing new, creative services that would be free of the constraints of the medical model and insurance coverage. Now every child who needed occupational, physical, or speech therapy could have services. All children would attend school together, become friends, and in time the stigma of disability would disappear. It was an exciting time to be a service provider. Only occasionally did discussions include consideration of the long-term, practical consequences of PL 94-142. Conversations were abruptly halted if someone asked what would happen to these new students after they finished school. All too often, those of us in pediatric
services lost sight of the importance of such questions. After all, vocational rehabilitation was another specialty. Meanwhile, we would have more time and space to work our small miracles, and who knew what could be done if we could really provide enough therapy. Spaceage developments in computers, adaptive equipment and technology, and a vast array of human service resources would surely take care of any residual problems. In general, we service providers were too naive and good-hearted to foresee any negative or problematic consequences of PL 94-142. We discovered, through the course of its implementation, that the law would effect significant changes in service delivery methods, interdisciplinary rivalry and confusion, manpower shortages among rehabilitation service providers, and numerous new sets of regulations and constraints from national, state, and local levels. By its very nature, verification of compliance with each and all sets of regulations shifted the emphasis of service delivery from treatment to documentation of assessments. These consequences have affected students as well as service providers, as adults have struggled to determine what an appropriate education is and how best to make it happen. Emphasis has been on the individualization of the process. This intention was good but, seemingly, thus far has failed to address the long-term educational needs of whole populations of special education students. Assuming that at least one goal of the educational process is vocational readiness, then we must now listen to and address the following question: What will happen to these students when they finish school? A grim picture confronts the adolescent or young adult who enters the work force today. In the United States and around the world, WORK 1992; 2(2):82-84 Copyright © 1992 by Andover Medical Pl•.blishers, Inc.
What Happens When They Finish School?
politicians, business leaders, and educators are engaged in fierce battles to promote and sustain the economic health of their domains. Indeed, survival rather than growth is often the immediate objective. Technological developments of the twentieth century have progressed far beyond our capacity to know, understand, and cope with them, both in economic and in cultural terms. Competition for jobs and personal income is increasingly tense as business, industries, and governments change direction, leadership, process, and product from day to day. Economic forecasts range from warnings of global collapse to lukewarm predictions of gradual recovery. There is increasing concern that our educational systems and processes have failed all but college-bound students, particularly in preparation for work opportunities in the twenty-first century. In the current recession, job security appears to be a meaningless phrase, even for individuals with advanced education and technological skills. We are appalled at the numbers of families who are homeless, and we are frightened by our growing awareness that millions offamilies are only one paycheck away from homelessness. Daily reports through the media inform us that over a third of the U.S. population does not have adequate health insurance. Only 20% of this year's college graduates are expected to have jobs within six months of receiving their baccalaureate degrees. So what does the future hold for this year's high school or college graduate who also has a chronic disability? Is there room in present and future job markets for an individual who, from the onset of employment, requires special facilities, furniture and other equipment, training methods, and job adaptations to learn and carry out work tasks that might otherwise be performed at far less expense to the employer by an individual who is well bodied? Are and will employment opportunities be available nationwide, in all levels and kinds of economic enterprise, and in all urban, suburban, and rural areas? In the United States, our systems and services to promote employment of the worker with a disability have been geared to-
83
ward the needs of individuals with vision or hearing impairments; those with job-related injuries; individuals with physical disabilities who have good manipulative, verbal, and intellectual skills; and the able-bodied individual who is mentally retarded. In addition, individual businesses have made special arrangements for valued employees who, after lengthy employment, encounter disease or disability. System and service capabilities vary greatly in urban and suburban areas and are generally poorer in rural areas. Services and opportunities for individuals with multiple developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and other severe, chronic disabilities are even more scarce. Automation of job tasks by computers, robotics, and computer-assisted equipment is becoming the norm in manufacturing, health care and other human services, and even in agricultural industries. On the one hand, this trend enhances the employment prospects of individuals with chronic disabilities if they are prepared and have the skills required. On the other hand, ever-increasing automation of work tasks means that the number of human workers required could decrease further and, accordingly, the number ofjobs available could decrease. In the United States this increased competition for jobs could be offset slightly by our declining birth rate. When we consider, however, that competition of jobs and dollars extends beyond this country, it seems clear that all new graduates, including our special education populations, will continue to face serious threats to employment. In fact, special education students and other students with disabilities who complete school may need to be better prepared and more capable than the general population in order to obtain and retain employment. These thoughts are random and concerns are unending, generated by years of working within the institutionalized constraints of our health care, educational, and legal systems related to handicapped children. As a nation and as service providers, we are just now becoming aware of the shortsightedness of many of our
84
WORK / WINTER 1992
educational and economic policies and programs. As the first generation of special education services proved subsequent to PL 94-142 comes to its end, it appears that the primary objective, to bring students into the schools, has generally been achieved. The definitional quandry of what an appropriate education is, and what its expected outcomes are, is still in its infancy. The next stage in the development of special education services must be to enable these students to get out of school and into the work force. The availability of realistic programs at present is questionable. It has been stated before that vocational readiness and preparation should begin early in the child's life. Educational services must address this in goal setting, program planning, and educational activities for even the youngest of their special education students. 1 The issues that must be raised are considerable and critical, the questions to be asked are difficult, and the right answers and programs will be hard to find. Adults who assume responsibility for the care and education of children with special needs will have to grow up to these challenges before another generation turns 21. We have a further responsibility to the society that pays for special education services that must go beyond our personal and disciplinary interests and experience. Service providers, parents, and other advocates will need to work together with employers to identify marketable skills for the
work of the future. Cost- and competitionconscious ways for special education students to learn and perform their adult work will be needed. There is potential for both cooperation and friction between groups of new graduates, service providers, advocates, and employers as they explore these issues. If these groups can look past immediate personal agendas and cooperate for the long term, then the promise of PL 94-142 may be realized. Ifnot, then we will continue to encounter case examples like the following.
DA DA is in his mid-30s and lives in a rural county seat. He has a college degree and excellent computer operation skills. He is very active in the local group that promotes activities and facilities for individuals with disabilities. He publishes the group's newsletter from his home where he lives with his parents. He has cerebral palsy with a moderate speech impairment. He is unemployed.
REFERENCE 1. Stephens LC, Pratt PN: Schoolwork tasks and vocational readiness. In Pratt PN, Allen AS (eds), Occupational Therapy for Children, 2nd ed. St. Louis: CV Mosby Co, 1989.
What Happens When They Finish School? Most of us hold opinions on contemporary issues in work practice, in all its broad dimensions. Sounding Board is a regularfeature of this publication, designed to provide aforumfor expressing such views, whether mainstream or controversial. The opinions expressed in this section may not necessarily represent the views oj the editor, the publisher, or the editorial board, but are intended to stimulate discussion or to provoke a response. Readers who wish to comment on the ideas putforth in Sounding Board should address their comments to the editor.
Pat Nuse PraH, MOT, OTR, FAOTA Owner, Pat's Sewing Porch Gainesville, Georgia
In the mid-1970s the ideas and hopes for the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (PL 94-142) were new and exciting. Conversations and presentations with colleagues at professional meetings were full of plans for providing new, creative services that would be free of the constraints of the medical model and insurance coverage. Now every child who needed occupational, physical, or speech therapy could have services. All children would attend school together, become friends, and in time the stigma of disability would disappear. It was an exciting time to be a service provider. Only occasionally did discussions include consideration of the long-term, practical consequences of PL 94-142. Conversations were abruptly halted if someone asked what would happen to these new students after they finished school. All too often, those of us in pediatric
services lost sight of the importance of such questions. After all, vocational rehabilitation was another specialty. Meanwhile, we would have more time and space to work our small miracles, and who knew what could be done if we could really provide enough therapy. Spaceage developments in computers, adaptive equipment and technology, and a vast array of human service resources would surely take care of any residual problems. In general, we service providers were too naive and good-hearted to foresee any negative or problematic consequences of PL 94-142. We discovered, through the course of its implementation, that the law would effect significant changes in service delivery methods, interdisciplinary rivalry and confusion, manpower shortages among rehabilitation service providers, and numerous new sets of regulations and constraints from national, state, and local levels. By its very nature, verification of compliance with each and all sets of regulations shifted the emphasis of service delivery from treatment to documentation of assessments. These consequences have affected students as well as service providers, as adults have struggled to determine what an appropriate education is and how best to make it happen. Emphasis has been on the individualization of the process. This intention was good but, seemingly, thus far has failed to address the long-term educational needs of whole populations of special education students. Assuming that at least one goal of the educational process is vocational readiness, then we must now listen to and address the following question: What will happen to these students when they finish school? A grim picture confronts the adolescent or young adult who enters the work force today. In the United States and around the world, WORK 1992; 2(2):82-84 Copyright © 1992 by Andover Medical Pl•.blishers, Inc.
What Happens When They Finish School?
politicians, business leaders, and educators are engaged in fierce battles to promote and sustain the economic health of their domains. Indeed, survival rather than growth is often the immediate objective. Technological developments of the twentieth century have progressed far beyond our capacity to know, understand, and cope with them, both in economic and in cultural terms. Competition for jobs and personal income is increasingly tense as business, industries, and governments change direction, leadership, process, and product from day to day. Economic forecasts range from warnings of global collapse to lukewarm predictions of gradual recovery. There is increasing concern that our educational systems and processes have failed all but college-bound students, particularly in preparation for work opportunities in the twenty-first century. In the current recession, job security appears to be a meaningless phrase, even for individuals with advanced education and technological skills. We are appalled at the numbers of families who are homeless, and we are frightened by our growing awareness that millions offamilies are only one paycheck away from homelessness. Daily reports through the media inform us that over a third of the U.S. population does not have adequate health insurance. Only 20% of this year's college graduates are expected to have jobs within six months of receiving their baccalaureate degrees. So what does the future hold for this year's high school or college graduate who also has a chronic disability? Is there room in present and future job markets for an individual who, from the onset of employment, requires special facilities, furniture and other equipment, training methods, and job adaptations to learn and carry out work tasks that might otherwise be performed at far less expense to the employer by an individual who is well bodied? Are and will employment opportunities be available nationwide, in all levels and kinds of economic enterprise, and in all urban, suburban, and rural areas? In the United States, our systems and services to promote employment of the worker with a disability have been geared to-
83
ward the needs of individuals with vision or hearing impairments; those with job-related injuries; individuals with physical disabilities who have good manipulative, verbal, and intellectual skills; and the able-bodied individual who is mentally retarded. In addition, individual businesses have made special arrangements for valued employees who, after lengthy employment, encounter disease or disability. System and service capabilities vary greatly in urban and suburban areas and are generally poorer in rural areas. Services and opportunities for individuals with multiple developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and other severe, chronic disabilities are even more scarce. Automation of job tasks by computers, robotics, and computer-assisted equipment is becoming the norm in manufacturing, health care and other human services, and even in agricultural industries. On the one hand, this trend enhances the employment prospects of individuals with chronic disabilities if they are prepared and have the skills required. On the other hand, ever-increasing automation of work tasks means that the number of human workers required could decrease further and, accordingly, the number ofjobs available could decrease. In the United States this increased competition for jobs could be offset slightly by our declining birth rate. When we consider, however, that competition of jobs and dollars extends beyond this country, it seems clear that all new graduates, including our special education populations, will continue to face serious threats to employment. In fact, special education students and other students with disabilities who complete school may need to be better prepared and more capable than the general population in order to obtain and retain employment. These thoughts are random and concerns are unending, generated by years of working within the institutionalized constraints of our health care, educational, and legal systems related to handicapped children. As a nation and as service providers, we are just now becoming aware of the shortsightedness of many of our
84
WORK / WINTER 1992
educational and economic policies and programs. As the first generation of special education services proved subsequent to PL 94-142 comes to its end, it appears that the primary objective, to bring students into the schools, has generally been achieved. The definitional quandry of what an appropriate education is, and what its expected outcomes are, is still in its infancy. The next stage in the development of special education services must be to enable these students to get out of school and into the work force. The availability of realistic programs at present is questionable. It has been stated before that vocational readiness and preparation should begin early in the child's life. Educational services must address this in goal setting, program planning, and educational activities for even the youngest of their special education students. 1 The issues that must be raised are considerable and critical, the questions to be asked are difficult, and the right answers and programs will be hard to find. Adults who assume responsibility for the care and education of children with special needs will have to grow up to these challenges before another generation turns 21. We have a further responsibility to the society that pays for special education services that must go beyond our personal and disciplinary interests and experience. Service providers, parents, and other advocates will need to work together with employers to identify marketable skills for the
work of the future. Cost- and competitionconscious ways for special education students to learn and perform their adult work will be needed. There is potential for both cooperation and friction between groups of new graduates, service providers, advocates, and employers as they explore these issues. If these groups can look past immediate personal agendas and cooperate for the long term, then the promise of PL 94-142 may be realized. Ifnot, then we will continue to encounter case examples like the following.
DA DA is in his mid-30s and lives in a rural county seat. He has a college degree and excellent computer operation skills. He is very active in the local group that promotes activities and facilities for individuals with disabilities. He publishes the group's newsletter from his home where he lives with his parents. He has cerebral palsy with a moderate speech impairment. He is unemployed.
REFERENCE 1. Stephens LC, Pratt PN: Schoolwork tasks and vocational readiness. In Pratt PN, Allen AS (eds), Occupational Therapy for Children, 2nd ed. St. Louis: CV Mosby Co, 1989.
