Giving Compass' Take:

• Project SITE in Indianapolis teaches students with disabilities to be independent, including riding the bus and functioning on their own. 

• How can other cities follow this model to increase the number of self-sufficient people with disabilities? What other programs are successfully preparing people with disabilities for independent life? 

• Find out why many students with disabilities don't go to college.

On a typical day, Kaleb Sims leaves his house on the east side and gets on the city bus for the 20-minute trip to college. Along the way, he texts his teacher to say he’s on the way. On campus, he makes his way to class. When the day ends, he heads back home by bus.

For some students, that routine wouldn’t be notable. But for 21-year-old Sims, who is in a wheelchair and has limited speech because he has cerebral palsy, it’s a sign of his growing independence. His teachers say that taking the bus, texting, and navigating on his own are all skills that will be essential to help Sims thrive when he finishes school.

Sims is one of about 15 students in Project SITE, which is designed to prepare students with intellectual disabilities for life after school. The Indianapolis Public Schools program is run in partnership with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where it is housed in the campus library.

When students first enroll, they often need lots of hands-on help, but ultimately, teachers are focused on decreasing their support, so students can gain independence and transition as seamlessly as possible to adult life, said Gwen Chesterfield, a special education consultant who helped found the program.

Read the full article on teaching independence by Dylan Peers McCoy at Chalkbeat.