‘Imagining the Future’ is a proposed project to address participatory barriers which young people with learning disabilities often face, when accessing supported employment and the community. ‘Imagining the Future’ (or IF) will contribute to strategic dialogues about shaping special education provision, within the changing educational and economic landscape of 21st Century Europe. ‘Imagining the Future’ (or IF) will also show what future special education provision could "look like", to a range of stakeholders, including employers, training providers, young people, families, and community organisations. The transnational and multidisciplinary dimension to this project is crucial. It is through involving practitioners from across Europe, as well as teachers, therapists and other special educational professionals, that we can truly “imagine the future” and extend the scope of possibilities for young people with complex needs. ‘Imagining the Future’ will provide young people with meaningful community-based learning opportunities, which will enable them to connect with others, socially, economically, locally and globally. Mini-Enterprises will be set up to enable this, which will include the setting up of “Share Fair” an online safe and accessible platform in which young people with learning disabilities can buy and sell produce, including goods produced at a non-European partner special school in Ghana. Mini-Enterprise activities will happen throughout the duration of the project.
'Imagining the Future' was a project for connecting young Europeans with learning disabilities to supported employment and community. Participating young people accessed valuable opportunities to develop skills for more independent adult living and participating professionals were also able to enhance the range of skills and strategies to use when supporting them. As part of the project, professionals also created a range of innovative new resources, to enable widespread practice develop, and systemic change. This includes the 'Share Fair' website which teaches aspects of financial literacy in a safe and contextualised way. This website is now used by 18 different schools, and has been accessed by 126 teachers. The lead partner for the ‘Imagining the Future’ project was Swiss Cottage School, Development and Research Centre (Swiss Cottage School (DRC): an all-age (2-19) special school in North London with an onsite teacher education facility. Other partners in the project included the Municipality of Linkoping (Sweden), Junedalskollen (a school in Jonkoping, Sweden) Northridge School (in Doncaster, UK) and the Centre for Special Educational Needs and Psychology (Lithuania). By having two UK partners and two Swedish partners, a greater number of young people, with more complex learning disabilities were able to participate in exchange visits, and also interact with a contrasting locality within their country. It also meant that sustainable national networks could be formed through the project activity. As a result of the project, a number of individual young people from the UK and Sweden exceeded their aspirational goals, and transitioned from full time education, to full time employment, as evidenced through our ‘Imagining the Future Case Studies’ (Intellectual Output 5). Other young people reached significant developmental milestones in areas such as communication, self-care and cognition. The project also led onto some seismic organisational changes, including the development of new policies for supporting preparation for adulthood, and new supported internship programmes to “bridge” the move away from being in school, to being at work. The project therefore supported a new thinking around special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).