Special+Education+and+Post+School+Options

One of the biggest issues facing special needs students is what becomes of them when they finish their school life. Obviously it varies with regards to the severity of the disability or special need how ever opportunities are scarce all around. Students spend large ammounts of their school career preparing themselves to be as self-sufficient as they can be, developing communication skills and learning about the world in much the same way non-special needs students do so why are they not afforded the same volume of options post school? Many students are placed into carers homes or special needs centers where the skills they have worked hard to develop are allowed to regress, this is not exactly anyones fault as many families simply cannot afford the full time support needed by some special needs students.

In my time at [|Black Mountain School](BMS) i observed some great programs run by the school. BMS explains their program as the following:

Students who graduate from Black Mountain School look for opportunities in: Broadly, these opportunities include: The graduate is able to access a combination of the above.
 * employment
 * recreation
 * social activities
 * community housing
 * Independent employment
 * Supported employment
 * Leisure programs
 * Supported housing programs

Essentially each week students are taken on excursions to the surrounding area's and integrated into everyday society, they carry out simple tasks and volunteer in the community. Some examples include;
 * assisting in the canteen at a local primary school where students helped develop a menu, assisted the primary schools children with preparation and acted as salespeople for the products.
 * trips to the local shopping complex to borrow library books, purchase things over the counter and practice conversation with everyday people.

The importance and effect of this program to special needs students cannot be overstated. It was amazing how much the students looked forward to their weekly excursions, they were extremely happy to have access to this great program and it was reflected in other school results, it is all well and good to develop social and practical skills in the classroom but without students putting them into practice in the real world regularly there is not much point.

Ref: Centrelink, [|__http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/home/index.htm__] Disability ACT, [|__http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/DisabilityACT/default.htm__] Koomarri, [|__http://www.koomarri.asn.au/__] Sharing Places, [|__http://www.sharingplaces.com.au/__] LEAD - LIVE, EXPERIENCE, ACCESS, DEVELOP, [] NSW Department of Aged, Disability and Home Care DADHC, [|__http://www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au/DADHC.htm__] Disability Coordination Office Online, [|__http://www.disabilitycoordinationoffice.com.au/index.htm__]