Listen to Us: Responses from Youth with Disabilities during the Youth Voices Community Forum

Youth with disabilities face barriers to success that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemic of racism that has generated protests in support of Black Lives Matter. The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) reached out to a group of youth and young adults with disabilities to share their most pressing concerns and to share their advice to service providers and other adults about how to support them. Young people shared that the major barriers they are facing during the pandemic are: (1) accessing technology; (2) participating in school; (3) access to jobs; (4) dealing with mental health concerns; (5) access to basic needs for their families; and (6) obtaining health care. With these barriers in mind, IEL designed a community forum that put youth voices at the center of the conversation. Youth with disabilities including youth of color led the conversation about the current pandemic and how it is affecting them, their families, and their communities. On May 28, 2020, IEL invited more than 200 participants to join in-depth discussions about the main topics identified by youth to discuss the strategies, effective practices, and resources. Many more people wanted to participate in this session, so IEL has captured the major themes from the Youth Voices Community Forum. IEL is pleased to share this report with the field to better understand what youth with disabilities are facing and how best to support them. Several of the youth co-authored this report, providing quality reviews of the summaries and offering clarification of ideas. This report includes notes from the general session, each breakout session, and a list of resources shared by topic area among participants. Links to resources are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only.