Disability, jobs and education
On the day before my brother’s 22nd birthday, his class threw him a party, his teachers gave him his diploma, and he left high school for good. My brother David has a mental disability, and the state of Illinois provides public schooling for people like him until they turn 22. After that, families are largely on their own to find support and post-high school opportunities.
In a state like Illinois, whose post-high school services for special-needs adults rank last in the nation, the task is daunting. My mom had to quit working to take on the bureaucratic leviathan of applying for disability benefits and navigating Illinois’ state services. At first, David’s prospects for work were few and far between; the most promising options would only have him work for eight hours a week, which is hardly meaningful employment.
I left for college with David on my mind. For neurotypical people, the post-high school path is straight forward: work, college or trade school. But for David, these options don’t want him, even though he and other special needs adults want fulfilling education or employment as much as their neurotypical counterparts. That’s why when I arrived at Calvin, I was pleasantly surprised to see people with disabilities working full-time jobs on campus or attending classes with the Ready for Life program. Shortly after, my mom found a Christian vocational three-year school for special-need adults that David could attend and study horticulture.
We talk a lot about the idea of vocation at Calvin and for good reason. Work is a good thing, and repeated studies show meaningful work is necessary not just to put food on the table but to find purpose in the world. When we talk about work, we think about it for people that think like us. We seem to assume that people with special needs don’t have the same desires for purpose or don’t have the capability to find purpose. Calvin’s hiring of persons with disabilities and cultivation of the Ready for Life program rebukes these assumptions, and I am very grateful for that. Calvin can still improve on these offerings and be a counter-cultural witness that people with disabilities deserve opportunities to be in the workplace and in the university.
As the university continues to rethink its offerings for the non-typical student, Calvin should consider people like David. Those with disabilities desire vocation too.
Jacklyn • Mar 1, 2020 at 9:11 pm
Juliana, thank you so much for sharing this. It has been both educational and a privilege to hear your family’s story–especially David’s–as I’ve been learning and working with high school students and young adults with special needs. The “system” is one that needs to be changed, certainly, and I am thankful that there are families like yours involved in this area so that we may slowly change the lives of those affected by it.
Sara Billin • Mar 1, 2020 at 8:49 pm
Juliana,
Thank you so much for writing about this important topic that people with disabilities find purpose in their lives through vocation. I, too, have a brother with special needs. Joel has been out of high school for over 20 years and has found a lot of fulfillment in working at Kandu and the Boy Scouts in the past. He currently looks forward to volunteering at Roots coffee shop on Mondays, going to a day program at Indian Trails on Tuesdays through Thursdays, and attending a class with other adults with special needs at Grand Rapids Community College on Fridays. You’re right, he finds purpose in these jobs and learning opportunities, even though it’s not to put food on the table. Our family is so grateful to businesses and organizations that find ways to include adults with special needs on their staffs.
And that’s only the beginning of the benefits, right? Working adults with disabilities bless those they come in contact with and add joy to their days. Also, I know from watching your dear family love on David that you are all more compassionate, selfless people for growing up in a family in which someone else’s needs come before your own. Thank you for bringing inclusion of special-need adults to the forefront of our minds. May it spark our creativity to consider how each of us can do our part where God has placed us.