The High School of Commerce has a ‘Life Skills’ program or set of classes for students who have certain disabilities. Many of these ‘Life Skills’ students have intellectual and neurological difficulties, which include Autism.

A team decision between teachers, the student’s parents, the school psychologist, and the Evaluation Team Leader, any related service provider, like a speech therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, hearing/vision specialist, school adjustment counselor, etc must be made in order for a student to be placed in Life Skills. They must conduct a meeting and based on certain federal and state standards that the student meets, make their decision. Every student must be reevaluated every three years.

Life Skills is broken into different levels and categories which subdivides the program into specialized groups. Bilingual Life Skills, Vocational Academy and the general Life Skills. Every student is unique and presents his or her own share of issues (I.e. physical, academic, and behavioral), which are all taken into consideration when placing them into the appropriate classes.

Ms. Scanlon is the Evaluation Team Leader, which means she chairs the IEP Teams or Individualized Education Program meetings. IEP meetings are held annually to review and update the IEP and tri annually reevaluated. She meets with all the parents, the agencies, lawyers, probation officers, and schedules their meetings.

She also helps students with their transitions, which means she does her best to figure out what the student wants out of life and with others, decide on the type of help that student will need in order to make it in the outside world. She stated, "I write the transition plans and I try to get the students more involved in planning with their transition rather than having me and a whole bunch of people sitting around a table making a decision about their life. I always try to include the students. It's about the student and what they want for their life, it's not about what I want for their life. It's not about me, it's about them."

She files '688 Referrals' which ensures that the student makes a connection with an adult agency for possible adult services after high school or once they reach age 22, whichever comes first. Ms. Scanlon also ensures that the Special Ed law is being followed in the school.

“Bilingual Life Skills” deals with certain 9th and 10th graders. Ms. Gonzalez has a lot of students from Puerto Rico who know very little English or no English at all. That combined with cognitive delays makes it very difficult for them in the U.S. where English is the primary spoken language. They are always focused on two things; learning the language and general learning.

Ms. Griffin has the Vocational Academy, which is a hands-on, work related type of learning experience. When students who are a part of the Life Skills program have completed all of their academic work, their MCAS-Alt portfolio, and want to continue school, if they are 22 and under they may choose to continue in the Vocational Academy. They come in and do daily living activities that include: budgeting, nutrition, culinary, and laundry. They learn how to make beds, learn how to bank, and things that they need in order to become successful in everyday life. Some students go out and intern at work sites or job places, some go for the whole year while others go for one grading period and come back for a grading period and go back out; a grading period is a quarter or one of the four marking periods that make up a school year.

These three groups started rotating just recently in January. The groups vary by academic level and classes are only about 45 minutes in duration. They go to lunch at about 10:30am, which is about 15 minutes earlier than the first of the three scheduled daily lunches, and they leave early as well: 11:00am. This time schedule allows those with handicaps to depart from the cafeteria without being trampled.

To promote oneself in Life Skills you must test your way up to the next level. In order to graduate the students must pass the MCAS. They do what they call an MCAS Alternative Portfolio. The MCAS is made up of various strands which include English, math, a science and a history. Basically it is the same thing that the general students do but it is differentiated so that they are able to do it in just a portfolio of their work to be submitted to the state without actually needing to take the regular MCAS test. Work is collected over the year as they follow a particular frame that they need to meet. On the test, they have a generalized cover sheet that introduces them to what they will be working on. It contains a bar graph to show progress and a work sample or assignment sheet. It also includes samples of some of their work and progress in different areas and subjects. They have targeted scales-for example one that can identify three functions of the skeletal system with some sort of independence. If they are able to meet the scales to pass they progress to the next grade.

Most regular students do not see the Life Skills students often and they believe them to be hassle-free well-behaved students. Mrs. Aubin clarified on that idea and stated, “I believe that the biggest misperception is that we’re sitting up here with a group of angels. When in reality our kids are getting put into in-house and are found skipping classes. We have that technology battle as well. We still have as much trouble as any other class. You have those kids that are sitting in the back being disrespectful and texting on their phones in the middle of class. Other students might present the uniform issue and have that daily battle. In general our kids are really good. As a general thing, they have their days just like everyone else. Problems don’t happen all the time.”

She also sees that the teachers have a better opportunity to build relationships with their students because they do not see a hundred different students a day. They are able to be closer and when a problem arises, approach them and ask if something is wrong.

“Do students ever harass or bully the Life Skills students?” Here at the High School of Commerce a student culture exists where students with disabilities are almost untouched. Socially it is not accepted to ridicule them or bother them in a negative way, and to do so leads to social banishment. Mrs. Aubin said, “I believe that the majority of the student body has been really understanding of the Life Skills students. There are some students in the general population that are friends with these students and hang out at lunch and in the halls.”

Amanda Pena is a 16 year-old ‘Life Skills’ student at The High School of Commerce. She went to Chestnut Accelerated Middle School last year and was constantly picked on while riding the bus. Children would insult and bother her about her name. She says, "It's so hard and I had to sit at the front of the bus to try and ignore them." Though she does not seem to have any problems at Commere, other than a boy in one of her classes that teases her every now and then.

Aurea Natal says that, “I’m nice to people and if they’re rude then, I’ll be rude right back and if it was one of the Life Skills students, I’d be mad but I’d try to be understanding because they have mental disabilities.”

Doel Nieves stated, “When it comes to that student who dances, I laugh with him, not at him. I have seen some students go up to the Life Skill students just to make fun of them and I think it’s just wrong. I’ve never done anything about it because I’m usually too far away. I think the student is a jerk for bothering someone who can’t adequately defend themselves.”