Transitioning to adulthood for young disabled people: imagining new futurities while walking-with

Abstract

From a disability studies perspective, we want to understand how to support young disabled adults to belong in their local community once the postsecondary transition has arrived. The force of imagination in the search for possibilities other than the often-fixed normalised pathways is investigated by looking at some important life events of Wout, a young man with Down Syndrome. The researchers experiment with the method of intuition of Bergson ([1946] 1992) by becoming part of the events shared through ‘walking-with’ Wout. Hereto a tracing-mapping (Lenz Taguchi 2016) exercise is followed to explore the open possibilities in Wout’s future, particularly in connection to employment. A speculative approach offers a conceptual and practical way to build concrete utopias (Bloch 1986) for the inclusive future Wout and his network are shaping.

Points of interest

• We examine the transition after secondary school, where finding a job is not always straightforward.

• A relational approach called walking-with involves listening to young disabled people and their families and is vital in the research process.

• The role of imagination creates openness for forward thinking and planning between history and future.

• In support, we need to clarify what young disabled adults like, prefer to do, and want to learn, with their passions and talents being central.

• At work, it is important for young disabled people to connect with others and be recognized for their meaningful contributions.

Keywords:

• Inclusion
• transition
• imagination
• concrete utopia
• event
• walking-with

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Wout and his network for taking us with them on this challenging search towards open futurities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.