Does the education system fail children/young people with special needs or physical disabilities? How?

Question

I am doing a degree in youth and community and want to put this as part of my dissertation. I am refering to the UK only at this stage.

If you know of any decent documents, let me know.

Thanks

Answer 1

This goes back ten years, but my experience with UK schools is that they fail children with disabilities. When I was trying to find a local school that would include my son (he was 15) I found none. I was told if we could find a school that would accept him - the supports he needed would be provided. We found no school that would. So I ended up homeschooling him.

He had a great time living in the UK because we constantly traveled to museums and historical sites. It was a great learning experience.  

Answer 2

I can only speak for one particular school district here.  The Audiologist is head of sign language interpreters, yet the audiologist knows nothing about sign language. I would consider that an oxy moron.  That to me is unfair to the deaf and hard of hearing students.

Answer 3

not just the education...but every other part of the system let special needs people down............they or thier carers have to fight all the way..visit a local special needs school or college faculty and ask questions

Answer 4

The UK education system fails children with special needs on almost every level. Teachers during their training receive half a day at university on the subject of special needs. When they do qualify the class sizes are usually so large that many special ed students simply do not get noticed. The only time these children do get noticed is when a crisis arises and usually by that time it is too late. The government are currently championing every disabled child matters but yet again they talk about more training and more opportunities but it has yet to affect the children it is targeted at.

Answer 5

Talk to various Disability groups in the UK. They should be able to help you.

Answer 6

My school let me down badly.

From year 7-9, I was at a small country school who installed a ramp and had someone pushing me around, they sent me work and helped me to do my SATS. I then moved to a bigger school and i was promised all sorts, i was told i could have help, my work would be sent to me when i was in hospital and when i was in too much pain to come to school. They said all my lessons would be down stairs, and they had electric doors. So, i wasn't worried at all about going to the school. However, on my first day my form room was upstairs, so they had to move the class down (much to the disgust of the other students) they moved it to a room that had a step to get into so they had to move again. I never really fitted in with my form because of the hassle i caused, they wrote me off as weird. The school was on a hill and really spread out so it was impossible for me to get around myself, when i asked for help i was told "no you cant have help your 15 and should be independent, so get on with it" I couldn't do that, I’d go from one end of the school and then had to go the other, which was to tiring as it was on a hill. My sister was allowed to help me, she'd collect me from one lesson and take me to another but only for 1 month.. so really, that was no help. The so called electric doors, were electric yes, but they were not connected so you still had to push them, they were big metal heavy doors, that was impossible to push them hold them open AND go through them. I was told i would have my own disabled toilet and they would give me a key, they never gave me a key so the toilet was locked and i couldn't use it, i did ask for a key repeatedly. I never received one. Because I’m in severe chronic pain all the time, going to school was difficult enough because some mornings i couldn’t 'walk' (I couldn't actually take one step it was more of a shuffle on crutches) because it hurt too much, on top of that my hips would lock so then i would essentially be paralysed for hours. When i was in hospital the hospital school faxed them, rang them, my parents went in repeatedly and i never received work - then i'd come out after a few weeks and be given a huge pile to do, the work wasn't ever explained to me and i wasn't given books to help me.. So it was my mum who taught me. Some of  the work she didn't even understand. Because i struggled getting around the school, they decided i should be moved into the library and have work given to me in there - that never happened. I was just plonked in there out of the way. I was not known as Lucy to the staff, I was called “the girl in the wheelchair” which didn’t impress me, yes I am a girl in a wheelchair - but I have a name!

My English teacher was under the impression it was MY fault i wasn't there so i was told to "get on with it, get your butt into gear and work. Laziness is not an option in my class" I am by no means lazy, i worked hard when i was there and wanted to learn. When it came to half way through year 10 i'd had enough i'd got myself walking again however  i was still on crutches i demanded to go back into my lessons and i moved form to be with my friends. The other kids wrote me off, so i sat on my own - which was fine by me, i got on with my work. The lack of work and hospital situation still continued, and i was really struggling. The kids in my science class were throwing things at me and random kids i didn't even know were kicking my crutches from under me, calling me peg-leg and cripple. Which i didn't take, they got some abuse back and a good smack in the shins with my crutches. One day in particular one of my teachers tipped me over the edge, she didn’t actually say anything that bad and I just burst into tears and told her I couldn’t manage, I was sick of not getting help, I was going to fail everything and I couldn’t cope with everything anymore. I had other problems as well on top of that, and everything got too much. She sent me to the school councillor, who was useless. He sighed and looked around the room like he couldn’t be bothered to be there or listen to me. On the way back from there one of the year 10’s tripped me up and I fell face first up a door, so I turned around and punched him. Nothing was said to him, just me.

In year 11 i received my report, when i was reading it i got to PE, they'd actually wrote a GREAT report saying  "Lucy very supple and had great stamina to continue. Lucy never needs any encouragement to get changed, she always has her kit and is raring to go." I was so insulted, my PE teacher had no idea who i was, i'd never ever done PE at that school and i had no idea who my PE teacher was!! I got a new english teacher, and she was the only teacher to help me. She rang me when i was in hospital, got me work, explained it and added me on myspace so i could message her anytime for help. When getting nearer to my exams she arranged separate time were we went to the library and went over everything i'd missed so i felt confident sitting my exams. None of the others had done this, i'd asked for numerous sheets of work, text books and a list of what to revise. I never received any of it.

What made me so mad was the fact my mums friends son, has a drug problem and has been expelled several times and yet they helped him so much. He came in every week for work and tutoring, i again: got no help, nothing. When i did my exams, i did them at home i got my results yesterday and i'm actually really proud of myself. I got 3 C's 1D and an E. I had an attendance of less then 20%, no teacher help, hardly any friends to help me and the hospital school was useless because they didn't know what i was doing and neither did i. I did that myself. We actually made a complaint to the education people about the school I’m not too sure what came of that. I honestly pity anyone who goes to that school and has a disable which requires time off and a lot of help and support.

Maybe not all schools are like that, but teachers who won’t help students especially those who need help? Ridiculous, why become a teacher. That isn't even the half of it, but this has got very long lol!

Answer 7

No, I think the education system is trying its best to fit the work with the capability of the child. There is a corridor for special needs children at my school and there is also a special needs schools and personal assistants that specializes in children with disabilities.