CORBIN — On Wednesday, the Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative hosted its first “You’re Not Alone” conference in Corbin.
Every spring the SESC hosts several transition fairs across its region in order to accommodate all 29 high schools it serves. During last year’s spring transition fairs the educational consultants realized the students in attendance with moderate and severe disabilities were “left out”. There were not enough activities and agencies in attendance at these fairs to adequately accommodate the specific needs of those students. Therefore, with that realization, the idea for the “You’re Not Alone” conference came to life.
Thirteen of the SESC’s high schools attended the event with a total of 166 students, along with 27 of these students’ parents. Seventy-nine school staff members were also in attendance gaining valuable information as well.
The conference was very well received by the schools in attendance. Pulaski County Special Education Liaison Annie Conner was impressed with the inclusion of everyone that makes up a support system for these students.
“I love that everyone was included in the sharing of all that is out there to help with transition to life after high school,” Conner said when asked about the day.
One Pulaski County High School student stated they most liked the keynote address by the University of Kentucky’s Bev Harp and her companion, Squawkers McCaw, a parrot who is Harp’s assistant in life and at work. Harp, who has autism, has two degrees in social work. She demonstrated to students on Wednesday that anything is possible as she did not let her disability get in the way of her abilities.
Another student from Pulaski County High School liked the session on work incentives. This session provided information to students and teachers about how students who are drawing social security can still work without losing their social security benefits. This is a huge misconception in our region that the SESC wanted to address. Students were shown how they can work and draw their social security benefits, making more money each month.
Lynne Petrey, an employment specialist from Madison County, echoed Conner’s enthusiasm about including all stakeholders. Petrey liked that the SESC decided with this transition conference to include parents as he stated, “I really enjoyed the parent sessions.”
Petrey attended all the parent sessions on Wednesday and met all 25 agency representatives that were in attendance. He is planning to host a similar event in Madison County next month with the hopes of reaching out to more students, teachers and parents.
Petrey also shared his students most liked the self-advocacy session and the session about the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center. The self-advocacy session was a hands on session that all the students enjoyed. This session taught students the importance of planning for the future and having a road map for life after high school.
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center also shared information about their facility with students. The Perkins Center is a diamond in the rough that a lot of people do not know about due to its location in Thelma, Kentucky. The SESC plans to continue to share information about the Perkins Center with its regional schools through their Transition Consultants. The Perkins Center offers a college campus setting for students with disabilities allowing them to earn certificates in dozens of vocational trades without cost to the student.
The parents in attendance were so excited to find resources specifically for their MSD students.
As a parent from Pulaski County stated, “I could not believe how much information I got from the Transition Fair.”
The conference’s main focus was obviously on students. However, the SESC felt it essential to include all stakeholders in these students lives in order for it to be a success. The educational consultants at SESC have strong backgrounds in teaching students with disabilities, and some are also parents themselves of children with special needs. Therefore, the staff at SESC realizes that in order for a child with special needs to be successful, their entire support system (parents, teachers, and the community) must be knowledgeable about the resources and agencies available.
The SESC staff’s goal with this conference was for students, teachers, and families to know they are definitely not alone in the transition from high school to life after high school. With all the positive feedback, it appears those in attendance are now more equipped for this transition.