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SPECIAL EDUCATION
I burst onto the disability advocacy scene as a special education student and parent advocate. Since I'm now neither one nor the other, as my attention has shifted to adult issues and away from concerns that obviously were driven by painful recollections of my own childhood education, so my more recent appearances as an advocate have translated -- quite naturally -- into transition from K-12, and adult education. I often characterize education of disabled adults as a type of special education, often dragged down with the low expectations and stereotypical thinking of K-12 special education as an industry.
This is especially true of the agencies and institutions identified with adult make-overs. Vocational Rehabilitation is one such institution. So are two and four year community and junior colleges. So, also, are universities and college that specialize in "life credit" and other means of offering career-changing or different-career-entering adults an easier entre to their futures as mature adults.
The latter types of post-secondary education providers actually do provide the best bang for your buck. Few savvy adults relish having their time, or their money or others' money wasted on poor instruction, directions out the door to dead end or non-existent jobs, or a bleak future life populated with "just disabled folks" no matter with whom or where they end up.
One's life-changing education needn't take place between the walls of a formal educational institution. Often, on-the-job training, and meaningful apprenticeships, including professionally mentored ones, are far more suitable for Asperger Syndrome individuals than traditional herd and business model educational institutions. As time permits, I'll be adding articles on non-traditional training and education for the non-traditionalists among us.
One thing I will not discuss here until I get much older is "continuing adult education," a term often used for individuals in retirement. I'm not quite there yet.
Each title below is a link to the article. Double click anywhere on the title to read the article.
•
Being Businesslike at the IEP
Meeting
•
Flunking the Fifth Grade --
What's Going On Here?
•
For Disabled
Students -- The Vocational or the Academic Track?
• How to Shop for an Adoptee Legislator
• Steps to be Followed in the IEP Process
• Tape Recording Techniques and the Politics of Building a Record
•
The Attraction of
Junior and Community Colleges
•
Transition to Adult
Independence -- Money Management
•
Travel Training and
Natural Supports
