September, October, November—months that matter. They mark the start of a new school year, a new job. For many families with disabled children, they signal something else: time to choose. Your son or daughter has finished compulsory school this June. They're fifteen, sixteen, or older. The next step looms: the move toward adult life, toward the life everyone else lives.
This choice is not easy. Doubt creeps in. Fear of getting it wrong, of not knowing enough, of choosing poorly. The options seem endless but somehow never quite right—never quite suited to your child, never quite secure.
Yet choose you must. How?
Below, we've tried to map out all the solutions currently available, at least in major cities.
You'll need to navigate the possibilities: continuing into upper secondary school, general vocational training, a professional course for disabled students, a day center program, integrated employment, or sheltered work.
Who helps parents decide?
At the end of middle school, the class council issues an "orientation recommendation" on your child's record. In practice, it identifies which upper secondary school might suit the student based on academic performance, results, and demonstrated abilities. Be realistic. For ninety-nine percent of our children, the recommendation will read: "Professional training or work-entry course is advised." Talk directly with teachers or the support instructor—you may get more specific guidance.
The social worker at your local health authority handles disabled adults (if your child is over eighteen) or young people (if under eighteen). They should show you which facilities open to your child's future: where they are, what they offer, and—with input from doctors and psychologists—which might best support their overall development.
If your local health authority hasn't organized this yet, turn to disability-specific associations—for instance, parent groups for children with Down syndrome.
Once you've consulted assistants, teachers, and psychologists, the final choice is yours. And perhaps you'll decide better if you meet this moment as a moment of truth.
Try to be honest with yourself, with the people who will care for your child, and with your child. If you love them rightly, you'll recognize their real strengths and limits. Don't push them toward studies that are too hard. Don't set them up for comparisons that would wound them or goals beyond their reach—paths that lead only to defeat and discouragement.
Stand with them. Honor their real capacities—the skills they've already shown, the activities that bring them joy and success. Trust them. Trust that they may grow in new ways if given the right encouragement, that they can connect with their environment, with peers, with teachers and mentors. Don't shy away from nurturing their gift for practical and manual work, if it exists. These are often the paths where they make real progress and gain confidence.
Don't pass your own fears to them. Instead, help them feel that they're stepping into a new phase of life full of good things, that you'll be there, that mistakes in choosing aren't disasters—that you can change course and start again without drama.
And with teachers and mentors—how should you act?
Try to build a genuine relationship with them too. Share your worries. If something isn't clear, say so. Tell them about the struggles your child faces, your own concerns. If you show trust and openness, I believe you'll make it easier for them to connect with your children. When they feel your confidence in them, they're more willing to listen, to learn what only you know about your son or daughter, to feel truly invested in the growth journey that your child—with their guidance—is about to begin.
It won't always be smooth. Neither we nor they are saints, and the problems are real. But for love of our children, wouldn't we move mountains? So let's face this new challenge with courage. And if you're willing, dear friends, tell us your discoveries, your stories: they'll mean the world to other parents.
Where do they go after compulsory school?
Where do they go after compulsory school?
Day Centers
- C.S.E. Socio-Educational Centers (contracted with local authorities)
- Rehabilitation Centers (contracted with health services)
Upper Secondary Schools
with middle school completion certificate- Upper Secondary Institutes
- art lyceum
- teacher training lyceum
- Public Professional Institutes
- technical institutes
- professional and art institutes
Vocational Training
with middle school attendance certificate- Regional vocational training courses
- Multipurpose vocational courses for handicapped students
- Some private day centers offer vocational training.
Work
- Integrated employment in the open market
- Integrated social cooperative
- "Sheltered work" in private workshops
At Home
- With occasional attendance at private groups
- With or without home support services