I have friends who have no plans for their young adults with autism, once they age out of the public school system next June. Without a full day program that provides opportunities for employment and socialization, their young adults face years of boredom and isolation in their homes.
Our state cannot provide services for adults with disability, because there aren’t enough people willing to work in those specialized programs. And that problem isn’t isolated to the disability world — there is a surplus of openings for certain types of teachers, police officers, and other state positions. Young people are shunning those jobs, even though the salaries have risen, are supported by strong unions, and offer generous benefits. With greater opportunities, more flexibility, and higher respect in other fields, service work isn’t attractive.
Service work is essential to our society. We need people to take disabled adults to the mall for the day, to teach five-year olds how to read, and to make sure that nobody is parking on the curb. The challenge of the next decade will be to make service jobs cool again and to revitalize our national commitment to community.
Read more at Apt. 11D, the Newsletter
Apt. 11d 
I think it’s just a problem of money. The wages are too low and the taxes that would pay reasonable wages for public service aren’t being paid by those who make lots.
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Agree that it’s about money and working conditions, not status or prestige. I did not become an academic for status or prestige or the money, but because I enjoyed the work and appreciated the flexibility, ability to chose directions and be creative, and largely enjoyed the working conditions (though not everyone would have).
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Yikes. Take care.
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My sister and her husband have steered their daughters toward higher education with a focus on future jobs, not learning. I understand the financial motivation but it was sad to hear my nieces put down the very few (less than one percent of their UMC high school) graduates who were going into education. My sister jumped in and said that teachers in better off schools districts made good money but the message my nieces had absorbed was clear: being a teacher was not a cool thing, – in spite of the many dedicated teachers who helped them get their multiple scholarships and other awards.
Law enforcement is a tough thing to get into, systemic issues aside. I grew up in a lower middle class blue collar community, and my mom used to say “never marry a cop. The job ruins people.” Most violence is domestic in that it involves family members or friends and the repeated exposure to this can create a certain disillusionment or misanthropy that manifests in some ugly ways.
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I hope the blog is ok. Might want to check if this letter is even legitimate.
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Stay safe (legally, politically, personally and otherwise). And do what you need to with the blog!
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Thanks, all. I deleted my earlier comments, because I’m trying to resolve this matter without bloodshed. I think things will be okay.
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