For Students In Special Ed, Transitional Schools Bridge Gap Between High School And Employment

CHICAGO — Heaven Lockhart had a busy last week of school before her graduation in May.

The 21-year-old finished her last days of school, decorated her graduation cap in art class and headed to her school’s prom, wearing the sparkly silver dress and matching shoes she picked out herself.

Then came the culmination of seven years of hard work.

After four years of high school and three years at Southside Occupational Academy, a public special education school in Chicago, she put on a royal blue dress and walked across the stage to receive her high school diploma. Her family, classmates and teachers cheered her on from the audience.

Southside’s close-knit school community provided Lockhart with more than an education: it provided job training in domestic duties, a paid part-time job, and plenty of opportunities to showcase her basketball skills through Special Olympics competitions.

“I’m going to miss my friends, my teachers, my principal, the security guards,” Lockhart said on a recent afternoon.

But she is also looking ahead and will enroll in a two-year program at Richard J. Daley College designed for students with disabilities while continuing to work three days a week at her paid concierge position at Hyatt. In the future, she hopes to continue volunteering with the Special Olympics organization and said she would love to work for the foundation.

For students with disabilities, graduation and life beyond school (including full-time employment and independent living) can seem out of reach, as traditional school models and curricula are often not tailored to students who need individual educational plans.

In Chicago Public Schools, special education students are lagging behind their peers in graduating from high school: About 75% of students earn their diplomas in four years by 2023, compared to 85% of CPS students who do not receive special education.

Under Illinois state law, students with significant cognitive disabilities are entitled to up to four years of continuing education in what are known as “transition schools” after their traditional four years of high school, until they turn 22.

But for special education graduates, transitional schools like Southside can provide a bridge between school and the workforce through specialized instruction, social-emotional learning, and opportunities to complete paid work at Chicago companies during the school year.

In May, about 80 Southside students graduated with their high school diplomas and work experience.

“This is a space … to hone a student’s skills at whatever point they have beyond us,” said Jim McGuire, a special education teacher at Southside. “Whether it’s someone who is employed and will really work toward full-time competitive employment, or some students for whom it’s more meaningful for them to continue to work on those skills to really contribute at home.”

Southside is one of four such magnet schools in the district, and between its two campuses in Englewood and the Lower West Side, the school has an enrollment of about 400 students. The district has one other magnet school on the Near South Side and two others on the North Side.

“We’re kind of a transition center for all the neighborhoods on the South Side,” McGuire said.

Southside students also take courses related to independent living. Topics range from learning how to use public transportation in the city to how to take care of your own apartment.

Lockhart enrolled at Southside three years ago after attending South Shore High School, a large feeder high school to Southside. She started at the Englewood campus for a year, before moving to the Lower West Side campus, dubbed “the Hub” by staff.

Students who move to the Hub focus primarily on gaining real-life work experience at one of the school’s 12 work sites across the city, where students work in industries such as hospitality, parks and recreation, and museums.

“We have all kinds of different opportunities and often times our students really demonstrate a strong skill set in those internships and are often offered interview opportunities for permanent, part-time positions,” McGuire said.

In her sophomore year, Lockhart began working part-time as a housekeeper at a downtown Hyatt Centric hotel once a week thanks to Southside’s partnerships with the company. Additionally, she worked as a paid janitor for Hyatt, cleaning corporate office spaces twice a week outside of her school hours.

In his third year at Southside, he received a promotion within the company, he explained proudly, and performed his cleaning duties independently and without supervision.

“I really enjoy cleaning. I wipe down tables and wash dishes,” Lockhart said of her job.

Southside also led her to pursue sports through the founding of Special Olympics in her spare time, and at school she is known for her layups in basketball games.

Her mother, Radisha Walker, said she was “overwhelmed with joy” at her daughter’s graduation ceremony.

“I’m very proud of her,” Walker said. “She has a very clear goal and such willpower that she won’t give up on anything. She will keep trying.”

Southside students also take courses related to independent living. Topics range from how to use public transportation in the city to how to take care of your own apartment.

“We focus a lot on the individual and the path they’re on and what works best for them, because the future is coming up fast,” said Principal Jennifer Bollinger, who has led the school for 13 years. “Some students are here for four years, some for one year, so we try to accommodate whatever they need.”

Elijah Winston also found his way into the janitorial program at Southside after graduating from Morgan Park High School, and has held a job in hospitality for the past two years.

Despite her success on the show, she has her heart set on venturing into another field: live entertainment.

Winston said he has been interested in musicals since he was a child and first saw “Hairspray.”

In his senior year before graduating, Winston, 21, auditioned twice for professional acting shows, including one with the Chicago Kids Company. He is also writing lyrics and producing music that he hopes to release someday.

“I’m trying to make my work known,” he said.

When Winston received the news of his first audition, two of his teachers at Southside helped him prepare professional photos before the audition.

“If you have a disability and you’re trying to find a job, it’s hard to find the right job,” Winston said.

At the school’s graduation ceremony, teachers drew on the school’s two daily mantras as they bid farewell to graduates: Respect others and believe in yourself.

In McGuire’s class, 11 of her 13 students graduated this spring, including Lockhart and Winston.

After years of meeting with students and parents to design the right education for each student, McGuire became emotional as he talked about his students’ future career aspirations as each prepares to move forward on his or her own path.

“There are a lot of tears and a collective feeling of ‘we did it,’” she said of watching her students move on to the next stage of life. “This student is ready for the world in ways I couldn’t have anticipated.”

© 2024 Chicago Tribune
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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