Summary Of Mike Rose's The Mind At Work

I am a sophomore at the University of Missouri. For my honors English class, we were required to read Mike Rose’s The Mind at Work. This book is about valuing the intelligence of the American worker. As I was reading this book, there was a chapter on vocational education. My father, Jim de Jong, has been in a wheelchair for over 30 years. Since my father is a paraplegic, I started researching the effects that vocational education could have on students with physical disabilities. In my research, I was shocked to see that two-thirds of people with disabilities are unemployed. I believe that requiring students with disabilities to take vocational education courses, in addition to the general liberal arts courses, in high school would decrease

Whether it’s working in a concession stand or mowing lawns, these young people are creating a resume. Youth with physical disabilities, on the other hand, most likely wouldn’t have been hired to work these starter jobs. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, “…prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, State and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation” (2010 ADA Regulations), students with disabilities aren’t physically able to work in the concession stand or as a lifeguard. Many times, youth with disabilities are restricted from getting these resume builders when they are young, therefore, preventing them from getting to that next step of attaining a job. If vocational education was integrated into high school curriculum, students with disabilities would gain the skills, education, and work experience necessary to get a job. For the topic of teaching, in addition to the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ensuring children with disabilities rights to an appropriate and free education. Educational facilities do not have the right to turn any child away. “Whether in the regular classroom or vocational classroom, the student has the right to attend, with or without an accommodation” (IDEA). Training facilities are becoming more and more

Transition planning was invented to prepare students with disabilities better to make the “transition from the world of school to the world of adulthood” (Dragoo). Together, the child’s school team makes an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). If it were required to include vocational education into the IEP plan, the result would be better prepared, educated, and skilled members of our society entering the workforce. The IDEA describes the “need to provide effective transition services to promote successful post-school employment or education” (What is IDEA). IDEA wants to provide better job skills, but they are failing. There are still 67% of people with disabilities unemployed, and this is just out of the students who graduate. Research shows that in 2000-01, of the students with disabilities ages 14 and older, 41.1% dropped out of school. Vocational education offers another way of learning, in addition to providing students with the skills needed to graduate and become employed. The general liberal arts track is not for everyone. Vocational education is a hands-on way of learning that could be the solution needed for the children that don’t find success in a general education