Post-school Transitions of People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Final Report

The ongoing UK and European economic crisis is leading to a rapid growth in youth unemployment in Scotland. Young disabled people, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, are more likely than others to experience difficulties in obtaining employment. Recognising the difficulties experienced by young disabled people in accessing post-school education, training and employment, the Scottish Government has attempted to put in place specific and generic support. This study aimed to investigate the post-16 transition process and outcomes of young people with hearing impairments and assess the nature of the support available to them and the barriers which they encounter.

We have highlighted the wide range of post-school transition experiences and outcomes of young people who are deaf or hard of hearing. We have identified patterns of post-school transitions, and the ways these are strongly associated with socio-economic status and educational outcomes at school. Differences were found between those young people with higher levels of qualification who progress into higher education, those with somewhat lower levels of qualification who move into mainstream further education and training, and those with few or no qualifications who move into personal development programmes in college, or who become disengaged from education, training and employment.