Article
What the Getting a Life Programme Set Out to Do
Why Getting a Life Exists Getting a Life was created to challenge a stubborn assumption: that young people with a severe learning disability cannot work, or that employment is a…
Blog
News, reflections and practical articles on aspirations, system change and paid employment for young people with severe learning disabilities.
About this blog
This blog is a place to follow the thinking behind Getting A Life as it develops. It brings together news about the project, articles about what works in supporting young people towards work, and honest accounts of the challenges that remain.
Writing here aims to be useful to young people, families, educators and employers alike. Each article is written to explain a idea clearly, to share what has been learned in practice, and to invite further discussion.
What we will publish
Articles will cover the stages of the route to employment, from first interests and taster activities through to placements and supported jobs. They will also look at the systems that either open or close doors for young people along that route.
Alongside this, the blog will share updates on project activity, so that readers can see how the work is progressing and what has changed as a result.
Themes to follow
Aspirations
Stories and reflections on how expectations shape the choices young people are offered, and how those expectations can be widened.
Systems
Analysis of the referrals, handovers and policies that help or hinder a young person's plan from one service to the next.
Employment
Guidance on work placements, job matching and the support employers and colleagues need to make paid roles work well.
Families
Perspectives from parents and carers on planning for adult life and on building the confidence to take a first step.
Reading and sharing
Articles are published as they are ready. Each one will be dated and written in plain English so that it can be read and shared easily.
If you would like to suggest a topic or share your own experience, you are welcome to contact the project team, and your ideas may shape a future article.
New articles will be added below this introduction. Read more about the Getting A Life project