Choice for young people with learning disabilities in post-education transition

Governmental policy identifies choice as a central theme for support services to people with learning disabilities. The expansion of options about where to live, what to do and with whom to socialise is seen as a critical benchmark in achieving the vision of full lives for people with learning disabilities. Services are obligated to ensure that people's wants as well as abilities govern decisions on all important issues. As a consequence, young people with learning disabilities in transition are being offered career development options during transition review meetings. The paper will focus on the issues relating to choice during this post-education transition.The paper will argue that the processes necessary to sustain the capacity of the young person with learning disabilities to choose are not well understood. It will focus on the career choices for young people with learning disabilities during transition and will maintain that the availability of options is only one consideration. The capacity to choose and the types of support that are most effective in facilitating the capacity to choose are equally important. Some conceptual considerations will assist in identifying the shortcomings of current policy and practice.