Dawn, Mom, Easterseals Academy Chicago Campus

“My son, Joseph, started at Easterseals Academy Chicago in the summer of 2019. Prior to coming to Easterseals, he was enrolled at a traditional high school with a low incidence program. My son is a happy guy most of the time, but like everyone he has days that are, let’s euphemistically call them not so smiley.’ At the other school, however, those days were becoming more frequent.

His educational journey up to that point had been a challenging one. The school he was attending no longer suited him, and we needed to find something new for him and quickly. Of course, I had heard of Easterseals Academy and their wonderful reputation, but I really didn’t think it was an option for us. Well, as luck or fate would have it, our BCBA at the time had interned here and highly recommended the school. I trusted her judgement, took a chance, and called to see if there were any available openings for my then 17-year-old.

Fast forward a bit, we spoke with the principal at the time Rose DeCanniere. Before our initial meeting, I can honestly tell you that I was beyond worried that this would be more of the same and that we would be told that our semi-sweet baby boy in so many words would be ‘too much’ for the school. I just knew we would be starting from the beginning again. I could not have been more wrong. Rose listened to our concerns, and we talked about what transitioning to the school would look like and what the next steps would be. I remember leaving that meeting and feeling—for the first time in a long time—hopeful about my son’s educational journey.

Before Joseph began at the school, we had a chance to connect with one of the people who has had the most significant impact on our experience here, and, in my very biased opinion, one of the absolute best teachers ever, Mike Hubert. Mike put us at ease almost immediately. He asked all the questions, and we were forthcoming about all the things that make Joseph, well Joseph. There was no hesitation or apprehension that we could sense, just understanding. That was the beginning of a very collaborative and strong parent/teacher partnership.

After a few years, Joseph was moved to another classroom, but Mike stayed involved during and after his transition to the new room and we won the teacher lottery again with Melissa Ramirez who is just as amazing. Now my son is back with Mike, and that partnership continues.

To be clear, everything has not always smooth sailing, my baby experiences challenges like we all do from time to time, but what I can say is that his teachers; the paraprofessionals like Terrence, Aaron and others; the speech pathologists; occupational therapists; and BCBAs have done all they can to make my son feel encouraged, supported and uplifted.

Joseph absolutely loves school.

This was not always a given. I have seen improvements with each new skill that he learns and tasks that he masters. I feel my son’s pride in his accomplishments, and I am always kept up to date with any news.

As his time here draws to a close and we look forward to his future elsewhere, my family will take all that Easterseals Academy has given us and cherish every moment. I know Joseph is prepared for life outside of these walls and will shine wherever he goes next.

I want to make sure that you know how much this school and the staff mean to us and how thankful we are that there was an opening when I made that call four years ago. I will end by saying that I will never be able be to fully express the depth of my gratitude, but I am so happy that the school is here to hopefully provide that same experience for another student.”