Report urges more practical support for disabled students

Young disabled people have as much ambition as their non-disabled peers, but their aspirations for education and careers are being frustrated, according to a study published today.

A report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation concluded that what they need is practical support and opportunities to return to education, not advice and encouragement - the one thing they do not lack is motivation. In particular, unequal pay between disabled and non-disabled people with similar qualifications required "urgent investigation".

Tania Burchardt, of the London School of Economics, found that the aspirations of disabled teenagers have risen since the early 1970s when they tended to have low expectations.

Disabled and non-disabled 16-year-olds now have very similar ambitions, with about three in five wanting to stay on in education, and they expected the same level of earnings from a full-time job. But by the age of 18, disabled young people were falling behind in education - nearly half had qualifications no higher than GCSE grade D, compared with 28% for non-disabled young people.

At age 26 disabled people were nearly four times as likely to be unemployed or involuntarily out of work and those in jobs were earning 11% less on average than their non-disabled counterparts with the same level of qualifications, found Ms Burchardt, who used long-term studies of people born in 1970, 1982/3 and 1984/5. She looked at young people with physical or sensory impairments or mental health problems, but not cognitive impairments.

She said: "It has been a struggle for young disabled people to gain recognition of their potential and to develop positive aspirations for playing useful roles in adult life. That achievement is certainly to be celebrated. But the fact that equality of opportunity in turning those aspirations into reality is still far from realised, leaves no room for complacency."

The story of "Dan" in the report shows the potential for a typical disabled person - but makes it clear his positive outcome is not at all typical. At 16, Dan, whose sight is impaired, living with his widowed mother and attending mainstream school, wants to go on to higher education and his ideal job would be a bank manager.

By the time he is 26, Dan has four A-levels and a degree, is working as an accounts clerk and part way through a professional accounting qualification. He is cohabiting with his girlfriend in a house they are buying with a mortgage.

Her study argues for removing barriers, sometimes based on direct or indirect discrimination, which disabled young people are experiencing when pursuing their ambitions. It criticises programmes like New Deal for Disabled People and Pathways to Work as being "misdirected" for disabled young people since motivation is far from lacking. Work placements, combined with extending the availability of Access to Work to cover work experience, might prove to be more effective.

Evidence of disabled young people's low level of educational attainment highlights the need for more help to ensure they are able to gain the qualifications they aspire to, and more support in the way of funding and equipment to help with their move from school to further education. For those who don't, more opportunities and financial support should be available for them to return to education, adds the JRF report.