Careers

Produced by Nancy Christy Heinen for Pathways to Independence. Becky recalls her guidance counselor advising her to look into secretarial jobs, “So I could sit behind a desk all day,” assuming that was all she was capable of. David recounts how he bristled when people told him to be “reasonable” in his expectation s for the future. Melvin remembers sitting in a chicago hospital with other kids who were victims of gang violence, realizing that if he wanted to be taken seriously, he’d have to earn it– but how? Low expectations throw up barriers for a woman with muscular dystrophy, a man with cerebral palsy, a black man with paraplegia. Studies show that students with disabilities are filtered from exposure to opportunities for higher education and vocational training. And yet, these and two other individuals featured in “Careers” demonstrate how higher education is the key for an individual with a disability to break through the barricades that traditionally block disabled professionals from entering the career world. The video illustrates that a wheelchair– or any other disability– does not prevent a person from pursuing higher education and a future more rewarding than simply performing a job. We hope it will inspire, and educate, those with crucial influence on young people with disabilities, and that it will spark the imaginations and aspirations of students to the real world possibilities that can– and should– open the door to finding a path to a career. Tell us …