Post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities in Riyadh

Post-secondary education (PSE) is an important opportunity for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID), though it is not widely available, especially in Saudi Arabia. The current study investigated the PSE opportunities available to young adults with ID, the support they received to transition to these opportunities, and associated challenges for stakeholders using an interpretative paradigm, with qualitative data collected via two main stages. First, a systematic review of the literature was completed. Stakeholders (PSE staff, students with or without ID and their families) reported educational benefits as well as gains in social skills and independence. Reported barriers included difficulty understanding the PSE system for parents and a lack of training in appropriate teaching methods for staff. Stage two was a case study with four different sources of data. The first element analysed Individual Education Plans (IEP) for students (N=10) who had completed their final year of high school in Riyadh. This analysis showed poor collaboration between stakeholders, minimal post-school goals, and that the teaching and training the schools provided did not meet Ministry of Education (MoE) standards. The remaining elements were interviews with those participating in a PSE programme called the Next Generation Programme (NGP). The lack of transition planning negatively impacted the progression to this programme for the young adults with ID (N=7), their guardians (N=7) and PSE staff (N=5). Despite this, the experiences of stakeholders were generally positive. These insights regarding the importance of post-school transition planning should aid in developing best practice methods for students with ID. Findings from both stages showed that involvement in PSE for young adults with ID improved all stakeholders’ perceptions regarding their personal, work, and social skills, and future outcomes, which may be relevant to not-for-profit organisations operating in disability services, educational institutions, and prospective employers