Educational Reform and the Delivery of Transition Services in South Africa: Vision, Reform, and Change

Abstract

This paper presents a description of the problems that individuals with disabilities in South Africa have experienced in accessing educational and support services in the transition from school to work. A majority of individuals with disabilities have been excluded from educational provision, and support services have been inadequate, inappropriately focused, and isolated from other mainstream transition initiatives. In redressing the inequalities of the past through a framework for equalizing opportunities, attention needs to be paid to overcoming previous imbalances and in redefining the discourse that has shaped the nature of service delivery for individuals with disabilities. This paper outlines the key changes that need to occur to create equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities to effectively transition from school to the world of work.