This month’s blog post is a collaborative effort by three CBL interns of varying class years who share time with young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Worcester Public Schools Transition Program (Caroline O’Connor ‘19, Jack Chaffee ‘20, & Caitlin Grant ‘21).
In light of recent political events and proposed budget plans, we believe that the community engagement and relationships formed in programs such as the WPS Transition program are of the utmost importance. These relationships defy the culture of exclusion that is perpetuated through proposals to cut funding to the Special Olympics and special education programs. Our experiences have exemplified the importance of inclusive and mutually transformative relationships, as well as highlighted the reality that no budget plan or monetary value can be placed on them. Through funding cuts and the diminishment of the value of programs that support individuals with disabilities, we all suffer. Further, enacting such cuts diminishes the worth of these programs.
As outlined in their mission statement, the Worcester Public Schools Transition Program aims to “prepare students with disabilities for adult life, as lifelong learners and productive community members. Students are provided the opportunity to learn and grow through community learning experiences, travel training, internships, and functional academics based on their needs, interests and vision for their future.” Each of us has been able to share time with young adults in the WPS Transition Program in different ways. Holy Cross students and WPS Transition students partner through various avenues. Throughout the week, Holy Cross CBL students travel throughout the city to meet with WPS Transition students, and on Wednesday mornings the WPS Transition students visit Holy Cross through a Spanish-speaking collaboration.
Jack: Through the WPS Transition Program, I have been able to form relationships with young adults and explore their academic interests during our time together. One of the students recently expressed an interest in science and animals, so we decided to visit the Science Complex at Holy Cross. My academic interests lie in economics and international studies, so it was rewarding and interesting to explore some of the laboratories for the first time together. Together, all of us came across a laboratory with huge stuffed, taxidermist animals and plenty of animal skeletons. While some of the other CBL students were not overly interested, and even possibly grossed-out, it was a lot of fun for all of us, and important to express support for the academic interests of the young adults. I found this to be a meaningful experience because the CBL students were able to learn more about a department none of us had extensive experience in and the WPS Transition students were able to dive more deeply into a subject they love. We all enjoyed the time we shared together.
Caroline: In the time that I have been able to share with the students at WPS Transition program, I have had the opportunity to build meaningful relationships that defy socially constructed norms of friendship. Unfortunately, these inter-ability friendships are uncommon within our contemporary society. Through being in relation with students, we have been able to push each other out of our comfort zones. Last semester, along with many of the WPS Transition students, and a cohort of students from Worcester State University, I had the opportunity to participate in an inclusive theater program. While theater is definitely not one of my strong suits, this diverse community proved to be very supportive and encouraging as I stumbled over lines and very often made a fool out of myself. In allowing myself to be vulnerable among the group of individuals with whom I was working, the relationships formed proved to be very meaningful. This semester, as I continue to work with many of the same students, I am able to continue to strengthen the bonds that I began to form last semester, and which were formed out of shared experience and vulnerability.
Caitlin: The WPS Transition Program has granted me with the opportunity to form friendships with students who I typically would not have had the ability to meet and spend meaningful time with if it were not for my participation with CBL. I began to engage with WPS Transition last semester and have continued to build and strengthen my friendships with the students into this semester. Each week both the Holy Cross and the WPS students participate in different activities during our time together. One of my favorite activities that we all had a lot fun with was when we made empanadas! We met in the Brooks-Mulledy Residence Hall kitchen, turned up some fun reggaeton music, and everyone was given a different task. Some cleaned the food, others cut and prepared the meat and vegetables, and a group began to heat up the oil that the empanadas would cook in. Until this activity, I never realized how cooking can provide a group with such an effortless opportunity to bond. There was a task for everyone and it allowed for each individual to contribute to the final product in some way, we all could share in the end goal (the empanadas) equally. Many of the WPS students shared that empanadas were something they ate commonly at home, and having never tried them before it was a great experience to try someone else’s version of “comfort food.” Through working together to make the food and then sharing in a meal together we became a closer group. I believe that Holy Cross students, who are “for and with others,” can share in the WPS Transition mission as “lifelong learners and productive community members.” As cooking highlighted, we all have the opportunity to engage in an activity that may seem unfamiliar to us but that will ultimately lead us to learning something about ourselves and others. These friendships and bonds that we create enhance our community; we all have something special that we contribute to the community and vital programs like WPS Transition facilitate the ability to share in this.
CBL students and WPS Transition Students visit the Science Complex at Holy Cross.
