Families across the country are confronting the stark realities of how systemic barriers can deny individuals access to education for years—even decades—despite their potential to thrive. Personal accounts highlight cases where legal, bureaucratic, or social obstacles delayed formal schooling until high school or beyond, underscoring deep inequities in how educational opportunities are distributed. While some face exclusion due to family circumstances, others encounter institutional hurdles that leave them sidelined from learning until later in life. These experiences raise urgent questions about the gaps in support systems meant to ensure every person has a chance at education.
Susan Popkin has a brother-in-law who was kept out of traditional education until high school. David Bateman has a brother-in-law who couldn’t enroll for the first 17 years of his life. These stories ...
