Ensuring that Students with Disabilities feel Part of My School Community

I attribute my career path to my brother. He was born with Down syndrome and is also autistic, and I gravitated to him right away. I knew that I wanted to support people like him in whatever way I could. 

For almost a decade, I have been making this goal a reality in CPS. I started as a teacher assistant and then became a special education classroom assistant. For the past three years, I have been working as a teacher in a self-contained classroom setting. 

It is wonderful to be pursuing my dream of teaching students with disabilities, and it is even more special to be doing so at Sadlowski Elementary School on Chicago’s Southeast Side. I grew up in this community and have many special memories growing up here. 

The team at Sadlowski is like a little family. Everyone is so welcoming and warm. And, on top of that, I work alongside my sister and some of my cousins. I couldn’t see myself working anywhere else. 

One of my biggest contributions to the community at Sadlowski has been the creation of the Saber Cafe. This is a coffee cart program led by our middle-grade students with disabilities. Students collaborate to make and deliver beverages to staff members, learning many important life skills every step of the way. 

I will never forget when we officially launched this program a few years ago. We had so much support from our entire school community. Our students’ faces said it all—they were absolutely glowing. 

It was amazing seeing my hard work come to fruition after researching ideas from other classrooms on the internet, but I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of my SECAs, who work alongside me every day and helped make the Saber Cafe a reality with their dedication and contributions. Other staff members pitched in in so many ways, including donating some of the materials we needed, and, before we knew it, the Saber Cafe was taking off. 

This opportunity has given my students so much confidence. They really take pride in their work and responsibilities. From taking inventory to creating the drinks to even learning about finance and accounting, they have excelled in all aspects of running the cafe. I am so proud of them. 

Eventually, I would love to see something like the Saber Cafe at CPS schools across the city. Taking on a project like this requires a lot of patience, but it is well worth all the time and effort planning it. I also believe that it can’t be something where you only give the bare minimum. You need to do it with all of your heart and give it 100 percent. 

This is the same message I hope my students remember this school year. We are going to stay positive, and, together, we are going to give this year our all.