Four Lincoln Parish Schools students spent part of their summer learning new skills, exploring career options, and proving they were up for a challenge.
Kameron Mitchell, Malena McCall, Johnavaughn Slaton, and Jimmy Keen participated in the inaugural Jump Start summer program at Louisiana Delta Community College (LDCC). The pilot program gave high school students with disabilities an opportunity to gain hands-on experience, explore technical careers, and work toward an industry credential.
By the end of the program, all four Lincoln Parish students had earned their OSHA 10 certification, an industry-recognized safety credential. Each student will also receive a stipend for successfully completing the program.
During the program, students completed safety training and online coursework, took part in hands-on activities, visited local industries, and learned more about different career paths.
The experience also put students in situations that were new to them. They worked with college instructors and industry professionals, learned workplace safety procedures, and became more comfortable navigating a college and career setting. As the program went on, they showed more confidence and independence, completing portions of the OSHA 10 certification process with little or no assistance.
“This experience reinforced something that we want educators and even community members to remember: disability should never determine the expectations we set for a student,” said Phaedra Blake, Special Education Director for Lincoln Parish Schools. “Kameron, Malena, Johnavaughn, and Jimmy were given an opportunity to demonstrate what they could do, and they did exactly that. They worked, they persevered, and they earned this credential.”
Tameka Miller, Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Specialist, attended the program with the students and provided support and encouragement throughout the experience. Tara Turner, Lincoln Parish Schools Special Education Facilitator, also helped make the opportunity possible by working with students and families before and during the program.
While that support helped students navigate a new experience, the work and accomplishment belonged to the students.
“This is what true inclusion should look like,” Blake said. “It is more than having students present. It means providing access to the same meaningful opportunities as their peers, maintaining high expectations, providing appropriate supports, and working harder than anyone else to remove the barriers that can prevent students from fully participating.”
Lincoln Parish Schools continues to work to expand college, career, and workforce opportunities for students with disabilities. Programs like this give students a chance to explore their interests, develop workplace skills, build independence, and earn credentials that can help them after high school.
For Mitchell, McCall, Slaton, and Keen, the summer ended with more than just a completed program. They left with new experiences, new skills, and a credential they earned themselves.
Four students. Four successful program completions. Four OSHA 10 certifications.