written by Ebony Topham, student journalist at Inscape House School
On 8 January, students and staff from the Together Trust’s education services were invited to join our Campaigning team down in London at the parliament for the launch of the new report ‘What Comes After Education’. The students and staff were joined by MPs, advocates and other supporters for a night of raising awareness for the barriers young people with disabilities face after leaving education, and the impact it has on them and their families.
At the event What Comes After Education?, a former student’s parent spoke on behalf of her son, and how Inscape House School changed his life for the better, but now that he’s left, the council are making it difficult to give hm access to the support he needs, so his mum once again is fighting for it.
We travelled there by train, specifically the Avanti West Coast, which went to Euston London. It took a couple of hours, and because it was it very cold, with heavy snow covering the railway and train tracks the weather definietely didn’t make the journey faster.
We went to the Lion King, at the theatre, which was unique to say the least. Then we went to get some food at Mc Donalds because we were all quite hungry.
“The trip itself did make me anxious, which is to be expected, but I think it was useful to go for the experience, and I got to meet up with my friend who has now left the school so that was really nice. I think I did better than I thought I’d do, there were some parts that were really tricky, and it was difficult because I couldn’t speak for a while as I have situational mutism, but I did enjoy the trip a lot. And im happy I went to have the experience and I got to meet some really nice people.”
The vast majority of young people don’t have to feel worried about if they can access support when they leave education, but for those with disabilities its completely different.
Our lives often are in the hands of those who decide to give us the support or not, and more often than not we have to fight to be heard.
These people who essentially decide our fate don’t even know us, they have no idea what it’s like to have a disability or special needs.
So please read the report, so you are aware of what people with disabilities have to face, just to get the support they need to have the best chances at life.
Find out more about the struggles disabled young people face
