we don't need no education?

You know those mildly amusing pictures that tell stories or have cute fluffy things with words on them? Well I seen one of those the other day and its got me thinking.

It basically said that you go to school and are taught to sit behind a desk and take instruction to learn how to be an adult and go to work to sit behind a desk and take instruction.

This is very true. As part of my degree I also study education, and as well as disability this is also of interest to me academically.

If the theory is that you become what you get conditioned into at school, then shouldn't society look to school as the source of the problem surrounding disability and work?

It isn't just society that takes the opinion of sitting behind a desk to work, that is also the sort of job that ATOS supposedly is judging you on being fit for work with. But, are disabled people being taught these skills and more specifically are special schools denying children the opportunity learn to work at school?

As I have only recently become disabled it is hard for me to answer this in a special school context. However, I remember that when I was at school, those who didn't achieve to a certain standard were not entered for exams, deeming them failures before even leaving.

I have seen an adult day centre that is supposdely vocational but tends to focus on the traditional skills of gardening and crafts. Those skills really dont create meaningful work opportunities (I know they do sometimes)

Instead of resigning disabled people into certain low skilled, low paid work why not encourage and make possible for disabled people to be trained into meaningful employment. Basically what I am saying is that alongside the employers who need training in how best to support disabled people in work, do disabled people also need to play a part in becoming employable, and I dont mean that as to blame disabled people, but the education system itself.

I am also aware that there are alot of highly educated disabled people who are unable to find work, and I think that that is also not the disabled persons fault, but that of a society that fails to appreciate that disabled people can have high aspirations and can achieve great things. The jobcentre is one example of this (although it is not disabled person specific)

Basically if you are expected to fail in education you will, and if you are expected to be a high achiever then you are encouraged to and will more than likely be one.

If we are to create an inclusive society where employers are willing to employ disabled people, does inclusive and aspirational education for disabled people also play a part?