Moving past stigma? A qualitative longitudinal analysis of educational transitions of disabled young people in England

Despite consistent evidence surrounding the inequalities experienced by disabled young people in early adulthood, youth transitions literature has paid insufficient attention to disability. While several studies have documented different types of structural and interactional stigma experienced by disabled young people in mainstream school settings, there is a lack of longitudinal research on experiences and consequences of stigma over time for this group. Bridging insights from critical disability studies and stigma literature, we argue that stigma is a useful yet overlooked conceptual tool for understanding disabled young people’s educational transitions and trajectories. Drawing on data from two waves of a qualitative longitudinal study of disabled young people in England, we examine post-16 educational transitions of study members who experienced stigmatisation in mainstream school settings across childhood and adolescence. We find that earlier experiences of stigmatisation influence the educational pathways of disabled young people through suppression of educational attainment and choice to attend more accommodating post-16 educational settings. For some disabled young people, the removal of structural barriers previously experienced in mainstream school settings marks a fresh start of increased agency. However, findings also indicate processes of psycho-emotional disablism, with some study members rejecting accommodations and disability labels to avoid future stigmatisation.