ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors deal with people's most marginalised and vulnerable members of the community, specifically young people with disabilities and learning difficulties. College responses to community needs, therefore, have to recognise differences within a community and to respond with flexibility. Each local community has its distinctive character and particular history. Young people who have experienced difficulties in learning in comprehensive schools are placed in Youth Training (YT) programmes alongside other young people from special schools. The process of making and sustaining friendships is demanding. For young people with disabilities and learning difficulties, these demands can be particularly complex. Individual empowerment for disabled people is seen as a crucial vehicle for self-improvement. It is also presented as a means of developing relationships leading to wider social participation. Empowerment is about participation in the establishing of priorities within an institution. In a society characterised by gross inequalities, the generation of prejudice has far-reaching consequences for vulnerable individuals or groups.
