As adults, the work we do often becomes an intrinsic part of who we are. It turns into a source of self-esteem and happiness to a large extent, often defining our quality of life and indeed, our overall life experience.
We expect less from children with learning disabilities:
From time to time, and more often when they are in their late teens, students are often asked what they wish to become once they grow up. Some have a ready answer and some just shrug their shoulders. The message they get is very clear- one day they are expected to "be" something.
But for most children with learning disabilities, this question is often not asked. Some drift from special or mainstream schools into specialised courses or further education, where the only expectation from them is to complete the course.
Where are the employment opportunities?
Often supported by parents and teachers during the school journey, some of these children despair that they will never be able to undertake 'normal' jobs. Parents also often worry if their kids will be able to 'fit' into the intensely competitive work scenario. With so many people competing for such few colleges and jobs today, their fear is that people with learning disabilities (a traditionally "invisible" group), are just not on the radar of mainstream employment providers.
Technology is the best friend of those with learning disabilities:
While the worry is completely understandable, what we need to factor in is the fact that the world of careers is different from the world of academics - with different skill sets required and different expectations.
Today, more than ever, technology is the best friend of any young adult with learning disabilities. Most of our work is done digitally. Thanks to text-to-speech programs and automatic spell-check programs, we don't really need to be a spelling whiz.
People with dysgraphia (a writing disorder) and dyslexia (a language disorder) can therefore heave a sigh of relief. People with the arithmetic disorder (dyscalculia) often avoid tasks and careers that require them to deal with mathematical computations on a daily basis, and that is a common choice many people who are not comfortable with mathematics make anyway. In fact, there are numerous options available to them.
Career options available for people with learning disabilities:
Children with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia are often attracted to, and do very well, in jobs that have an element of creativity, variety and excitement built in. They usually prefer jobs that allow them to interact with people or to be up-and-about, handling situations as they arise.
1. A large percentage of these young people gravitate towards both pure art (painting, illustration or photography) and the applied arts like design (graphic, visual communication, fashion, interior, and textile), animation, etc.
2. Most areas within the media are well suited to them as well. Many with dysgraphia, once freed from the mechanics of writing, make wonderful journalists and authors.
3. Advertising is another area that appeals to many of these young adults.
4. Many take to performing arts like a fish takes to water. If we start listing the number of actors, models, DJ's, TV anchors, songwriters and choreographers who have learning disabilities, we will be here all day. Some of the biggest names in movies, music and sports are people who struggled in school with learning and attention issues.
5. Those who prefer meeting and connecting with people find that sales and marketing, retail management, and event management are areas where they do well.
7. Areas within hospitality and tourism also are very suited for careers as chef, F&B, travel hosts, language translators, cabin crew, relationship managers, etc.
6. Fashion management and sports management, though nascent areas, are also very suited.
7. Social work and teaching, especially as a craft, are also a viable options.
8. Fast paced jobs that have excitement built into them like a career in the armed forces or adventure sports also work very well for many having an inclination towards such adrenaline pumping jobs.
Those who are adept and comfortable with technology also have a number of options. People with conditions such as Asperger syndrome or NLD (Nonverbal Learning Disability) can flourish in a career that utilises their ability for focused and intelligent problem solving-without having to be around too many other people.
1. They could explore areas like software development, hardware testing, video game programming, ethical hacking, web design, etc.
2. The technical side of media also has areas like film making, editing or sound engineering.
3. Depending on their area of interest, many other careers are also a suitable 'fit'- e.g. for someone who loves maths, there is data analytics, actuarial sciences, cartography and bioinformatics.
4. Scientific research and biotechnology would also work very well for those who love physics, chemistry and biology.
More number of challenges but lots of opportunities:
At the end of the day, research shows that people with learning disabilities face the same challenges as any adult who begins a new job, with the added challenge of overcoming the assorted difficulties associated with their disability. These additional problems usually include writing skills, information processing, reading comprehension, time management and organisational skills.
Regardless of these difficulties, people with learning disabilities are entering many fields upon graduation from college or vocational training. In fact, the percentage of people with a learning disability who choose to disclose their disability is relatively small. A significant statistic tells us that technology and developing strategies that 'work' are allowing these adults to become successful and happy.
Authored by Monica Kapur, Head- Counseling and Content, Inomi
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