Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2015, Page 105

UPPELDI OG MENNTUN/ICELANDIC JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 24(2) 2015 105
KRISTÍN BJÖRNSDÓTTIR & STEINDÓR JÓNSSON
do not seem to have practical education options equal to others (Mitra, 2006). The
manifestations of these barriers vary and include, for example, lack or denial of appro-
priate support in inclusive settings, lack or denial of age-appropriate or challenging
tasks in segregated settings, and denial of access to upper secondary schools (Björns-
dóttir, 2002, 2014; Egilson, 2014; Ólafsdóttir et al., 2014).
Since 1996, students with intellectual disabilities have had access to special study
programs (self-contained special education classes) at Icelandic upper secondary
schools, but these students rarely have the opportunity to participate in inclusive set-
tings (Björnsdóttir, 2002; Stefánsdóttir, 2013). Steindór was among a lucky few who
were admitted to an upper secondary technical college years before it became the
right of students with intellectual disabilities to attend upper secondary school. The
program at the technical college was a Nordic development project, and the aim was
to prepare the young men for work at sheltered workshops or as unskilled workers
and the women for sewing at sheltered workshops or at sewing ateliers (Björnsdóttir,
2002). At that time the program was only two and half years in duration but has since
been increased to four years of study. Steindór has always loved computers and was
allowed to take general computer classes at the technical college. This was not com-
mon practice, but he successfully completed these classes and earned upper second-
ary school credits. The teachers at the technical college had high hopes for Steindór
and encouraged him to seek work in the open labor market. Steindór said: ‘I am afraid
my teachers had too high hopes for my employment outcomes. I have only worked
at a sheltered workshop.’ Since the special study programs are individualized and
do not follow the upper secondary school curriculum, students do not complete the
program with any qualifications and their right to education ends upon graduation.
After graduation from upper secondary school there are limited educational op-
portunities for people with intellectual disabilities, apart from segregated continuing
education classes. These classes do not seem to be directly linked to the labor market
and wage agreements (Björnsdóttir & Traustadóttir, 2010). Steindór has successfully
completed several short and long-term continuing education classes, in Iceland and
Sweden, organized for people with intellectual disabilities, but these classes have nei-
ther resulted in better wages nor improved his employment prospects.
People with intellectual disabilities generally do not have access to post-secondary
education. However, there are some colleges in the Global North that offer postsec-
ondary courses for people with intellectual disabilities (Uditsky & Hughson, 2012).
Since 2007 the Iceland University of Education (after a merger in 2008, the University
of Iceland’s School of Education) has offered a vocational diploma for people with
intellectual disabilities and is in so doing acknowledging the rights of disabled people
to inclusive education at all levels as is stated in the CRPD. This program does not
lead to an undergraduate degree, but about 70% of graduated students are reported
to be employed in the open labor market after graduation (Stefánsdóttir, 2013). There
are many applicants for the diploma program but only few are accepted into this part
time two-year course of study.
Finally, Mitra (2006) explains that the education level of people with intellectual
disabilities, compared to those who do not have such a label, can be understood as