What Will I Be?

By Catherine Steele

Everyone dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. Even after some are "grown up," they still dream of what they would like to be! But for young people, your decision of what to be is important. And summer is the perfect time to make plans for the fall!

What is on the minds of young people? A survey asked 7,000 Canadian youth, aged 11 to 16: "What do you think you will be doing when you are 16?" What do you think the youth said? Seventy-four per cent said they would be in school, preparing for university or college. Eleven per cent said they would be in school, taking business or technical courses to prepare them for work. Fourteen per cent said they did not know.

Now, how would youth with physical disabilities answer that question? Would there be a difference? Well, of 316 youth (aged 11 to 16) who responded to the same question, 59 per cent said they would be in school, preparing for university or college; 13 per cent said they would be in school; taking business or technical courses to prepare them for work, and 28 per cent said they did not know. Wow -- a lot of youth with physical disabilities did not know what they will be doing at 16!

So, how do you find out what you want to be? You can talk to your friends, family, teachers and school guidance counselors. Also talk to mentors or those who are doing interesting work, career planning/information service agencies, and universities or colleges. They may be able to answer questions dealing with disability concerns such as note-taking and accessibility.

Yes, youth with physical disabilities may not be able to do everything -- although, often, where there’s a will, there’s a way -- but you can do a lot! You might just need to be a bit more creative and persistent.

You need to dream, to think about what you will be when you grow up. Look at everything: volunteering, part-time vs. full-time work, going to school or taking courses for fun, helping someone in an unique way -- whatever! Just be happy and enjoy what you do!

(If you have any other ideas on planning for the future, please let us know by calling Catherine Steele at Bloorview Macmillan Centre in Toronto, (416) 424-3855 (or, toll-free, 1-800-363-2440), ext. 3642. Or leave an e-mail message at: ortccs@oise.utoronto.ca.

Many thanks to the Easter Seal Research Institute for funding our research. )