MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio — High school is designed to prepare young people for what’s next as they begin the transition into adulthood, and in Middleburg Heights, the special admissions programs at Polaris Career Center are educating society on the benefits of including those with cognitive disabilities in the adult workforce.
One of their success stories is 18-year-old Alexis Andren.
"Alexis came into us last year, very timid, very quiet," Mike Rhamy, the associate principal of special admissions, said. "[Now] you just see her start to open up, you see her personality come out a little bit."
Alexis is a senior with a cognitive disability enrolled in Special Admissions at Polaris. The program is designed specifically for students with various learning disabilities.
"The goal for all of our programs at Polaris and also for special admissions is to get our students into the workforce," instructor Julie McGarey told us.
The curriculum moves at a slower pace to give students extra time to build soft skills like communication and job-specific skills through five employment training programs. They include Building Services & Ground Maintenance, Community Work Experience, Deli & Food Production, Employability Skills Lab, and Retail Services.
"We're targeting a student that is wanting to go out and work that needs additional support," Rhamy explained.
According to Rhamy, 70% of all students from the five specialties were gainfully employed upon graduation in May 2023.
"We always have some students that need that additional time that aren't ready to go to work, so we're never going to hit that 100% mark," Rhamy added. "But of the students that wanted to, basically every student had an employment."
According to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, of the 36,899 participants with disabilities who were eligible for the OOD's process to gain, maintain, or return to employment this year, 5,035 had a successful employment outcome. That's about 14%.
"I would just encourage all businesses to open their arms," Mark Elliott, recreation director at the Middleburg Heights Community Center, said.
Elliot hired Alexis in a custodial role after meeting her through the Polaris program.
"I like cleaning," Alexis says. "I don't like when it's a mess."
Elliott says adding Alexis to the staff has worked out very well.
"She got the greatest smile," he noted. "She brings energy and pleasure to our staff every day."
Rhamy says part of the education process has been educating potential employers.
"There are these benefits to employers, but for so long ... I think it was kind of like not talked about, so employers weren't just there," Rhamy said. "If you're not somebody that's trained to work with the people with disabilities or you don't have a family member with disabilities, you don't know what to do. … Part of what we are trying to do is we are trying to break that."
Rhamy offered to us some tips for employers, like splitting up one job up that may be too much for someone with disabilities into multiple jobs. This allows that person to work part time doing something they can handle.
"It's different, and you know, you have to look at it in this new light," Rhamy stated. "There's just not enough people out there for all the jobs, so take what you can get and hold on to the people that you want."
And that's exactly what the Middleburg Heights Community Center did with Alexis, who is now a success story for Polaris and people with disabilities.
"They are a valiant workforce and they're a piece of this community," Rhamy declared. "We have to include them. We can't just put them off to the side."
Rhamy says we must give students with disabilities a chance, noting that while they may fail, that's okay, because failure can give them a chance to grow. He also says people with disabilities tend not to leave and jump jobs as much as others, which can help businesses dealing with employee turnover in certain roles.