.png)
Why Results Day Decisions Are About More Than Your Grades
- Roxanne "Rox" Steel
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
The hidden role of representation in the choices we make
This week, thousands of young people in the UK are receiving their A-level results, and next week, it will be the turn of GCSE results. For many, these milestones signify important choices, the beginning of new paths, ambitions, and opportunities.
We often discuss these choices as if they are solely determined by grades. In reality, they are also significantly influenced by what we have been told is possible and by what we have never experienced.
Reflecting on my own journey, I recognise how representation has shaped my early decisions. At times, it guided me toward paths that aligned with my skills and “abilities”. At other times, it led me to pursue the most visible options, even though potential passions lay elsewhere.
Where My Story Started- (Sort of)
I went to a school that, at the time, was considered a “special needs” school. It also developed a particular focus throughout the years I attended: a specialism in sport. I loved it. I joined multiple sports clubs and thrived. By the time I left school, I had gold medals and records.
In that environment, representation of disabled people in sport was strong enough that it felt like a natural career path. In the 2000s, the most visible examples of disabled success in the broader world were often athletes, primarily through the Paralympics. Seeing that made sport feel like not only something I could do, but something I could be.
Sport did not only feel possible because of representation.
It also felt more viable because of how wider society framed disability and sport. There has long been a charity-driven, “inspirational” narrative around disabled athletes, positioning sport as a natural arena for disabled achievement. It created a comfortable image for others, something that felt acceptable and achievable, rather than unrealistic.
I was also given opportunities outside of sports.
I attended drama sessions when they were available. My nan persuaded a local radio DJ to let me visit the studio (she was cutting his hair at the time, so I often wonder if that's why he said yes, just kidding). -Honestly, this remains one of my core and happiest earlier memories.
These opportunities, however, were often framed as hobbies or one-time experiences, rather than as potential career paths. I do not blame anyone for that.
In the 90s and early 2000s, would people have been aware of what those opportunities could become?
Would they have thought to frame them as real, sustainable options for a disabled person? I am not sure.
When I transitioned to a mainstream college, I chose a sports-related course. The college allowed me to join, which felt like a win at the time. Yet it did not have the support in place for me to thrive truly. This was not a question of talent or effort. It was about infrastructure.
The Paths I Could Not Picture
If the opportunities in sport had been stronger, I might have stayed on that path. However, I have been thinking lately about the paths I did not allow myself to imagine, not because I lacked interest, but because I could not see myself in them.
When I was younger, I spent time at a radio station and would unashamedly phone in consistently (this makes me simultaneously happy and cringe to think about)
I loved it. I have always had a passion for speaking and entertaining people. I have often joked, and had it joked back to me, that I should have been a children’s television presenter.
I loved drama too.
At that time of “choices”, I didn't feel real options were discussed it felt like any employment would be a win and therefore, I don’t think I felt confident enough in my disability or my identity to consider a creative career seriously. I also knew that to pursue a career in the arts, I would need an assistant.
I feared that would make me “look more disabled.” That feeling was the product of years of masking and minimising my disability to fit into spaces that were not designed with me in mind.
I also loved writing.
People often told me I was good at it. Yet I never thought a career involving English or creative writing would be enjoyable or sustainable for me. I was always suspected of being dyslexic, and when I made mistakes, I felt stupid - and surely this meant I couldn’t be a natural writer?
At school, my English exams took over four hours because I needed a scribe to assist me. I wondered what would happen if that support was not available.
All this uncertainty quietly closed the door on writing as a career path; even though I had the skill and the interest.
When I retook English at college, I got an A*.
You would think that would have built my confidence. Instead, I was already on the sports course, and it felt as though my path was fixed
I would look longingly at the LAMDA drama classes or think about studying English further, but changing direction did not feel possible. I had not seen many role models who had switched tracks, and many of the people around me, including family, had stayed on the same work or study path for their entire lives.
More importantly, I did not really know what opportunities could look like for me in those areas. I did not know where they might lead, what roles I could play, or how support would work in practice.
Without visible role models and with most of my experiences framed as hobbies rather than career pathways, those ambitions felt out of reach. It felt safer not to try at all.
Representation shapes not only the doors we go through, but the ones we notice are there.
Sometimes, when you’re faced with limited options or unclear paths, it feels a bit like this…
The Ripple Effect of Representation
Representation matters deeply at decision points such as A-levels and GCSEs.
It influences not only the choices we make, but also the choices we believe are available to us.
When young people see themselves reflected in the media, in classrooms, in workplaces, and in leadership, and are made aware of what support is available, it changes what they believe is possible. When they do not, it can quietly limit their options long before they are asked to make a choice.
No Regrets - Only Perspective
I do not live with regrets. Many things have come back around in different ways.
Although I may not work in radio, I often speak, entertain, and connect with people. I am at my best when I am engaging an audience, whether in a boardroom, on stage, or in creative spaces.
Through my work, I have spoken at events, been a guest and a host on podcasts, and collaborated with creative companies on productions such as STOMP to reflect on accessibility.
I have starred in e-learning videos. I have worked on projects that blend creativity, strategy, and accessibility, helping to shape inclusive change.
Writing is now part of my work too. I write blogs, consultancy pieces, and thought leadership articles, and there is no reason I could not be a published author in the future.
That door I thought was closed has quietly reopened, proving that paths we step away from can still be found again.
My business enables me to pursue these passions alongside or as part of my consultancy work.
I have become part of the representation I did not always see, and I carry that responsibility with care.
In today’s world, multi-hyphenate careers are common. People are not just actors, athletes, or entrepreneurs; they can be advocates, creatives, educators, and brand builders all at once. There is hope in that.
However, hope alone is not enough.
The freedom to explore multiple paths relies on three key factors: infrastructure, awareness of opportunities, and the confidence to believe it is possible. Without those, too many young people will still limit their choices before they have even begun.
A Message for Results Week
If you are a student or a parent supporting one, keep in mind that life is not a straight line. Your first choice doesn’t have to be your final one. The path you choose now isn’t the only journey you will ever take.
If you did not get the results you wanted, focus on what you are good at, what you care about, and what you need to thrive.
Do not start by thinking about the barriers. Start with your strengths, then work out what support you need to make them count.
Investigate what support is available to you.
Reach out to organisations, companies, and individuals who can help you understand your options. Explore schemes such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance and ask early about the adjustments, equipment, or resources to which you are entitled.
Do not see asking for support as “too much” or as something that makes you more disabled. See it for what it is: enabling. It is an opportunity you have a right to. The right support can be the difference between struggling to stay in the room and having the tools to succeed in it truly.
From a business perspective, the principle is the same. The more you create environments where people can see themselves, access support, and feel they belong, the more likely they are to find their best path and to stay.
Representation is not a campaign. It is a culture. It is the signal that says, 'We see you.' We consider you. This is for you.
When people feel seen, they are more likely to apply, participate, speak up, and stay. Engage for Success found that 64 per cent of people are more likely to take action when they see themselves reflected in content.
Embedding representation into how we hire, teach, promote, design, and communicate will not only change this year’s choices, but also impact future ones. It will change the starting point for the next generation.
I hope it has given you space to reflect on your own, or on the perspectives of those you support. I hope it encourages you to think about the impact of representation in your own work, at your school, or within your organisation and how those impacts ripple across generations.
Your grades are one part of the story, but the opportunities you are given, the representation you see, and the support you can access are just as crucial in shaping the future you can build.
Looking back, what most influenced your career or study choices?
The grades I achieved
Representation and role models I saw
Support and resources available to me
A mix of these factors
Comments