Provide a clear description of the theme/s the panel discussion will address, referring research question, theoretical framework, methodological approach, and intended purpose of the discussion. Bear in mind that the European/international dimension is vital to the success of your submission.
Length: up to 600 words

National and international research has highlighted that outcomes for adults with disabilities are poor across a range of domains, including access to learning and employment (Kelly and Maître, 2021). Longitudinal data highlights that students with disabilities are less likely to be prepared to progress beyond school into further education, training and employment than their non-disabled peers, and are also less likely to actually progress to post-school options (Lipscomb et al., 2017). In the Irish context, SILC and Census data show that a much smaller percentage of people with disabilities have a third-level qualification compared to working age people without disabilities and this education gap between people with and without disabilities has remained over time (Kelly and Maître, 2021). Previous research has identified the lack of transition support from second level to further education and training or employment as a big issue (Scanlon et al., 2020). Research drawing on Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data also shows how earlier educational experiences, including engagement, attendance, expectations and attainment, are important in shaping later educational transitions for disabled adults (Carroll et al., 2022).

While a number of studies describe the post-school educational options for students with special educational needs (Scanlon et al., 2020; McAdam et al., 2021), less is known about how many students progress to different settings when they leave school, their reasons for choosing particular paths and their experiences of these paths. Internationally, much of the published literature has focused on mainstream higher and further education (see for example McGuckin et al., 2013 in the Irish context), with less attention on vocational training and rehabilitative services (Duggan and Byrne, 2013).

This study addresses these gaps by capturing a more comprehensive range of pathways taken by young people and centring the student voice to understand how and why they chose these pathways and how they fare once they leave school. The study features two cohorts, one comprising students in their final year at mainstream and special schools and the other recruited from a range of post-school settings.

Across the settings, the key research question is how young people decided on their post-school pathway, or indeed whether it was decided for them. Using a self-determination theory approach, we explore the balance of autonomy, competence and relatedness in young people’s decision-making. The role of key factors like young people’s level of impairment/complexity of need, their school context and their socioeconomic background in this decision-making process is also considered.

This research utilises a mixed methods approach across a number of settings to capture the breadth of student experiences. For the school-based cohort, students were recruited in both mainstream and special schools. Students in mainstream schools were surveyed in the March 2022, the Spring of their final year in school (n =372), with qualitative interviews with these students (n=20) and their parents (n=5) taking place after in the Autumn after they left school. A follow up survey of these students will be conducted in Spring 2023. A longitudinal case study approach was taken with students in special schools, with tailored interviews with students (n=16), their parents and school staff taking place the Spring of their final year in school and follow up interviews the Autumn they finished. Separately, students in post-school settings of interest will be recruited as a second cohort in the Spring of 2023. These settings include Post-Leaving Certificate courses (an FE setting), the National Learning Network (an education provider specifically geared towards disabled young people) and day services (settings with a care rather than education orientation). Surveys and interviews will be conducted with the young people as appropriate to each setting based on the accessibility requirements of their students, complemented with interviews with staff and parents in each setting.

We expect to find differences in the level of choice young people are able to exercise across different settings, based on a number of factors. These include their impairment/disability, but are certainly not limited to it. Their school context, family circumstances and local area will also play an important role in determining the horizon of possibility for these young people. Particular attention will be paid to the way special educational needs interact with young people’s socioeconomic backgrounds, and the implications of this for the reproduction of social inequality. The relative importance given to the three aspects of self-determination is also expected to vary across different participants, with some attaching more value to autonomous decision-making and others to decision-making through a relatedness lens.

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