Browsing by Author "Nyyssönen, Tiia"

The aim of this study was to analyze the stories of disabled people, when it comes to their school paths and working life. I wanted to give these adults a voice and to participate in the conversation of disability policy. The ongoing discourse has lately been about the equal rights that disabled people should have within the field of education and working life. I studied the discourses that emerged from the interviewees’ narration, also mirroring these discourses to the results of earlier political studies on disabled people. The aspect of this study is sociocritical given the fact that disability was studied through the hurdles rising from the rooted structures of society. This study focused on questions how well these interviewees have been able to use their self-determination and decide on the matters that touch their own personal lives as well as what kind of experiences of exercise of power they have faced. I interviewed three adults aged 28 to 46. The approach was narrative, the narration focusing on turning points of the interviewees’ lives. The analysis part of the study results is based on critical discourse analysis, as it critically examines the society and its use of power. It became apparent that the education these interviewees have had, was largely determined by third parties instead of interviewees’ own personal choices. The interviewees had experi-enced an additional school year after comprehensive school, after which future studies for the disabled within the field of kitchen, cleaning as well as rehabilitative instruction and guid-ance for the disabled came into play. After graduating each one of the interviewees had tak-en steps towards working life through service centre, and they were involved in rehabilitative work that lasted for many years. The interviewees’ narration introduced a discourse of ”real work” based on which I examined different possibilities for these people to be part of working life. An actual employment offers an employee a far more active role than rehabilitative work. We need more information about disability and to acknowledge the fact that being disabled should by no means be an obstacle for participating in working life. The legislation concern-ing the employment of the disabled should be more precise, so that employers would not be able to take advantage of defects of rehabilitative employment such as not having to give certain rights for the disabled for long-term work.