Families across the country are confronting the harsh realities of how systemic barriers can deny educational opportunities to loved ones, with some individuals excluded from formal schooling for decades. Personal accounts highlight cases where legal restrictions, bureaucratic hurdles, or societal stigma prevented enrollment until late adolescence—or even adulthood. Experts say these experiences underscore deeper inequities in access to education, particularly for marginalized groups. The stories raise questions about how policies and attitudes continue to shape who gets a chance to learn—and who doesn’t.
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 ...
