The basis for today's disability policy, according to the United Nations convention on disability rights (2006), is that people with disabilities shall have the same rights and opportunities as other citizens. Also, the disability rights movement and disability studies have been interested in improving the life situations of individuals with disabilities for several decades. One step for the improvement is to make visible the realities in those life situations and look at the historical, cultural and social possibilities and barriers people with disabilities encounter in their daily life. This paper is about the transitions of people with learning disabilities from comprehensive education to further education and working life in two Nordic countries, Finland and Sweden. We examine similarities and differences between possible educational paths in the two countries and the potential for young people with learning difficulties to influence their educational and career choices. It seems that the ideals of equal opportunities, full participation and influence are quite constrained for people with learning difficulties in both countries.