Further education for young people with learning disabilities

Most people attend their local college on a full- or part-time basis, the latter often combined with other daytime activities such as work experience.

A smaller number of specialist colleges offer residential courses which cater for more severely disabled students or for those requiring a residential setting. Although some young people can benefit from spending time away from the family home in a supported environment, they are only eligible for financial support if it can be proved that local provision could not meet their needs.

Opportunities for people with learning disabilities to study more flexibly, such as distance learning, are limited although the Open University Course for people with learning disabilities and people working with them has been very successful.

Research indicates that people with learning disabilities want to use further education in order to gain skills, understand themselves better, and participate more effectively in wider society. Going to college can offer those possibilities provided people are well supported from the start.

The Further and Higher Education Act (1992) placed funding on a more secure footing, encouraged more integrated provision, financed more support services, and increased the learning opportunities for people with moderate learning disabilities. The Act has also had less positive effects for people with severe learning disabilities. Strict funding criteria have meant an overemphasis on literacy, numeracy and skills for independence at the cost of a broader curriculum. Course accreditation requirements have excluded some people with learning disabilities, including people with severe learning disabilities, older people and members of minority ethnic communities. Some colleges have been reluctant to develop their provision for people with learning disabilities.

Two major reports on further education have been welcomed by the government. The Tomlinson Report (1996) made a strong case for more inclusive approaches; and the Kennedy Report (1997) called for wider participation of groups currently under-represented in further education, including people with disabilities.

Inclusion and equality of opportunity underpin the Learning and Skills Act which was implemented in 2001. Bringing together further education, adult education and training within a single body - the proposed National Learning and Skills Council - should benefit people with learning disabilities, particularly in terms of their progression from one area of learning to another and linking education with training and employment. The changes to funding criteria will also mean that progression can be more broadly interpreted, hopefully to include progress towards a more autonomous lifestyle.

The extension of the Disability Discrimination Act to cover educational provision is a further positive move, as colleges will be required to demonstrate that they have made "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate people with disabilities.