Purpose in Action: A Partnership of Business, Education,
WCPS & Community - Berea Maker Space
Article by Conner Richardson, Susan Godman, Tracey Francis
Excited is an understatement for Woodford County High School (WCHS) as they and Berea Independent Community High School participate in a project that is unlike any other. This project is the first in the nation to provide students with an opportunity to collaborate with community partners and a local industry to design accessible workspaces and promote inclusion to improve post-graduation outcomes for students with disabilities.
"When approached with the opportunity to apply and participate in the Purpose in Action: A Partnership of Business, Education, and Community - Berea Makerspace (PIA grant), my team, which consisted of the high school lead special educator and Career & Technical Education (CTE) instructor, and I had no idea of the magnitude and impact of the project," says Tracey Francis, Director of Special Education for Woodford County Public Schools (WCPS).
Mrs. Francis continues, "As educators and leaders, our goal is to support our students in becoming successful and productive members of society - a viable member of their community. As an administrator in the world of special education, the post-secondary transition becomes a main focus and is very overwhelming to approach, so adding on one more project or initiative creates more pressure. However, my team and I knew this is what would be BEST for OUR Students!"
When Mrs. Francis, Susan Godman, WCHS lead special education educator, and Conner Richardson, Career & Technical Education instructor, were approached to participate in such a project as PIA, they had very little understanding of how powerful this project would become.
The team had lots of questions and was eager to get started but needed some clarification first.
They had questions such as…
Where do we start?
Who is “the team?”
How many kids can participate in the project?
What are the parameters of the curriculum/project?
Do we have a “learner profile” to support students in their job exploration?
How do we know what students want to do after leaving high school?
Who will participate in this post-secondary transition project?
How will parents be involved?
How will community partnerships be formed?
How much does it cost? And who ensures the cost?
Who and what team supports students in on-site volunteering and job skills?
….and lots of other questions
In meeting with members of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), such as Lynn Petery, these questions were addressed and WCPS was given the opportunity to Dream Big! The only requirement was that the project be an inclusive creation that allows students with disabilities the opportunity to have the same access to the project as students with non-disabilities. This requirement meant that we ensure that ALL students, regardless of their disability, work together to design, create, and fabricate an ADA-compliant work cell in partnership with the Berea Makerspace and Parker Hannifin and in conjunction with community, university, and other organization partnerships.
Basically, WCHS students were going to work with a local company and the Berea Makerspace to design a workstation that would be accessible to the company's employees with disabilities. Such conditions would or could entail vision supportive technology/equipment, physical spacing and workstation considerations, and much more.
The Woodford team was so excited to get started on this project but wanted to ensure the focus was on outcomes for both our students and staff. Through conversations with our KDE support team and consultation with KDE's community volunteer lead, Tom Cook, the Woodford team had several goals in mind for both students and staff members.
Goal outcomes specific for students:
Create an inclusive learning environment
Support students in becoming skilled to allow for viable employment and career opportunities within their community
Plan, create, design, problem solve, work as a team, apply higher order thinking with hands-on learning
Follow design requirements, checklist, and scoring rubric
Submit artifacts, records, and a prototype at the end of the project
Present and communicate to stakeholders the end prototype
Leave the project with a complete skill set and resume ready for career opportunities
Goal outcomes specific for our team:
Embed this project within the current CTE program
Promote universal design learning within post-secondary environments
Improve student engagement
Improve student skill development
Build cross-community partnerships
Improve dropout rate
Collaborate within the current post-secondary programs
Determine team members to support the overall project
Stay tuned for updates to see how our team progresses toward these goals. We look forward to watching our students and staff take this project and make it their own to reach their goals and create a more inclusive community for ALL people.
Mrs. Francis, Mrs. Godman, and Mr. Richardson note the importance of supportive leadership in a project such as this. Mrs. Francis says, "Our Superintendent Danny Adkins and the entire team at KDE have been so encouraging of this work. They believe in providing students with unique learning opportunities, and they want to see children succeed both now and in the future. It's all about helping our kids win, and this project is certainly doing that."
Look for More Updates to Come as this Project Continues in the Specific Areas:
Getting Down to Work
Building our DREAM Team of Students
DREAM Team (Students First and Staff)
Visits to Locations
Future Goals
We look forward to providing more information and updates as this project continues!
