THE Learning Disability Support Group has vowed to take its protest all the way to Downing Street, following the decision by Salisbury College to axe its Pathways course for disabled students.
The group, which was formed in 2003, had an open meeting to discuss the crisis, after 115 students saw their college education suddenly come to an end because of a £300,000 funding cut by the Learning and Skills Council.
A large number of young people with special needs, together with carers and support workers, attended the meeting at Salisbury Baptist Church, on Friday, to express their concerns.
They are now planning to take a petition to Number 10, highlighting the right of learning disabled people to have a college education.
The meeting also discussed short-term measures aimed at filling the gap when the college reopens in September without the Pathways course, which was part of the well-respected foundation studies' department.
Although Salisbury college, the Learning and Skills Council and Wiltshire county council have all promised to work together with the students and their families, no replacement courses have so far been offered.
The group has pledged to "negotiate, lobby and protest" until new further education and training opportunities are put in place.
A spokesman for the Learning Disability Support Group said: "Every effort is to be made to encourage the college and those responsible to revisit the problem and rethink their overall budgeting, rather than simply earmarking the learning disabled, who are one of the most vulnerable groups in society and who simply want to learn and train themselves for possible employment.
"Many of these young people with learning disabilities were proud to go to Salisbury College in their community, but it seems the college was not proud of them."
The next stage of the protest will be a letter-writing day, which has been organised by South Wiltshire Advocacy Network (SWAN).
This will take place at Salisbury Baptist Church, between 10am and noon, on Tuesday, August 1.
It will give those affected by the education cuts the chance to write to the appropriate decision-makers and make their feelings known.
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