Families in the Socorro Independent School District learned about various transition services available for students with special needs as they prepare for life after high school at the Transition to Independent Living Agency Fair.
More than 100 students and their family members attended the event on Feb. 25 at the SISD Technology Services Center to explore opportunities and resources designed to help them successfully transition into adulthood. Organizations included the County of El Paso, Workforce Solutions Borderplex, the United Way, Project Amistad and many more.
“This is wonderful because I didn't know there was all this in the community,” said Maria Betancourt, whose son Andres attended Pebble Hills High School.
Now that her son was out of school, she worried he would stay at home all day while she was at work. She came to the fair hoping to find different opportunities for her son to stay busy during the day.
Bentacourt met with representatives from Raiz Federal Credit Union about money management services and Sun Metro’s LIFT program, which provides specialized transportation services for individuals with disabilities. She also learned about internships for her son with the County of El Paso and social groups for people with disabilities, such as the El Paso Disability Action Group, which offers monthly dances and activities.
“So now he can do more things on his own and not just be at home and be maybe even productive for himself. And it'll teach him that he's worth it. It'll teach him self-value. And I think that's really important for him,” Betancourt said.
Rosalie Yañez, SISD transition coordinator, said the fair was an opportunity for parents of children with special needs to find services they didn’t know were available.
“It's important for our families to understand that there's so much for them,” Yañez said.
She also emphasized that parents should start planning for their children’s futures long before their senior year in high school.
“High school is the four fastest years of your life because you blink and it's done. So, if we don't start planning early, we're kind of behind the eight ball. So, I want all of our families to know there are possibilities,” Yañez said.
Christopher Mejia, a student at Eastlake High School, explored the various job training services available at the fair, including Workforce Solutions Borderplex. He was considering a career in the automotive field because he always liked cars. He said he enjoyed connecting with others at the fair.
“It feels great because I get to meet other people, and they're really nice,” Mejia said.