How Corpus Christi schools are prepping students with disabilities for independent living

Stepping forward confidently, Daniel Alvarez called out to students passing by the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi library Wednesday morning.

"Hello! Would y'all like a bracelet?" Alvarez said, handing out rubber bracelets. "We're spreading kindness. We're the TIDES program!"

Alvarez is a student at Corpus Christi ISD's Mary Grett Transition Center, which serves young adults with disabilities, and a participant in the TIDES program, which aims at helping participants develop independent living skills.

The TIDES program is a partnership between Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and two local school districts. Corpus Christi ISD has participated in the program since 2016, serving more than 60 students. Flour Bluff ISD joined the program in January after seeing the program's success with CCISD.

TIDES stands for Teaching Independence, Empowerment and Determination Skills.

Throughout the week, participating students try their hands at campus jobs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, flexing job skills and social skills as they prepare for life outside the K-12 education system. This includes learning how to interact with others and problem solving.

The students, who range in age from 18 to 21, have completed their academic requirements for graduation, but are still working to develop independent living skills.

"The beauty of TIDES is it's an opportunity for all of us to learn together," said Phyllis Robertson, chair of the university's Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Learning Sciences and special education coordinator.

On Wednesday, the CCISD students spent time in the dining hall before setting up a station in front of the library to recruit college students for the Best Buddies program, which pairs TAMU-CC students with TIDES participants, allowing them to develop a friendship.

"The idea is that they'll have genuine relationships," TAMU-CC assistant professor Ashley Voggt said.

The day before, TIDES participants from Flour Bluff ISD did the same. Four Flour Bluff ISD students are currently participating in the program, coming to campus two days a week.

"They work on employability skills and then they have a meal (in the dining hall) with their peers," FBISD director of special education Melanie Shandy said. "And then they actually have a lesson taught by their own teacher on the college campus."

Both Flour Bluff ISD and Corpus Christi ISD have similar partnerships across the community. FBISD students pick up job and volunteer skills at places like the Texas State Aquarium, the USS Lexington, Alamo Drafthouse, the YMCA and various retail stores, as well as at the on-campus spirit shop where students designed T-shirts for themselves.

"We have partnerships with other organizations, but this one (TIDES) is crucial and critical because of the fact that our students are adults and they've met all graduation requirements," Shandy said. "We're trying to get them ready for the next phase in life."

The students enjoy getting a taste of the college experience, FBISD assistant director of special education Heather Bervinkle said.

"They tell family members they're going to college with real college students," Bervinkle said.

Flour Bluff ISD student Sheyenne Madison, 21, said she enjoys tasks in the dining hall.

"I like cleaning tables and cleaning the windows and the chairs and sweeping," Madison said. "I like having class in the classroom."

Flour Bluff ISD student Delayne Gatton, 19, agreed.

"I like working with food. ... I want to be a chef," Gatton said.

The Mary Grett Transition Center has various types of programs, of which TIDES is one. Students can also participate in work training and volunteer sites across the community and programs at the center. The district's Caring Corner, a clothing closet for people in need, is located near the center and Grett students volunteer there.

The center also opened a new training kitchen this year, where students can learn life skills such as meal planning, kitchen safety and how to use appliances.

In the community, Mary Grett Transition Center students spend time at many different types of business and organizations, stores like Big Lots and H-E-B and the railroad station. In particular, the Transition Center looks for businesses that are willing to hire students after graduation.

"Some of the good things with the job sites and the volunteer sites is that at the end of their time here, some of them get jobs," Mary Grett Transition Center coordinator Zannette Hernandez said. "They're offered that opportunity."

Over the years, a couple of CCISD student participants in the TIDES program have stayed on campus after the completion of the program, getting jobs in the dining hall.

The TIDES program helps build independence for students, adaptive education teacher Laura De La Rosa said. They learn how to sign up for and use the Corpus Christi Regional Transit Authority's B-Line, which they take to get to campus.

"Our goal is for them to carry on even after they leave us and to continue to use it in life," De La Rosa said. "Everything they've experienced, it might benefit them, whether it's to find a job or maybe they'll decide to take a class at Del Mar College."

They also choose what to eat in the dining hall, which helps them practice decision-making when given a range of options; making healthy food choices; and social skills as they interact with dining hall staff.

"Those small moments are major for our students," De La Rosa said.

Students can also sit in on a university class, an opportunity they may not have otherwise.

"The thing that (TIDES) does is it opens a doorway to their self-confidence and being part of different environments," De La Rosa said.

As the program has developed, the university has also started holding a TIDES graduation ceremony at the end of the year.

"I like the learning experience of TIDES," said Isaac Wilkins, 21, who hopes to work at a history museum after graduation.

Three of the seven CCISD students currently participating in TIDES are doing so for the second year, including Kendra Berlanga, 22.

"I love it," Berlanga said. "I like the Best Buddies program. They take us out to the mall or the movies or out to eat."

De La Rosa said that she sees evidence in the program's success in her students each year.

"They start to show a lot more confidence," De La Rosa said. "They make friends. ... You can tell the difference just in the way they speak, in their confidence."

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi students with disabilities learn independent living skills