ABLE SC, Youth Newsletter

 

October Youth Newsletter South Carolina Pathways Project: Youth Interview Meet Julianna Carr - Our SCPP Student Stakeholder Workgroup Chairperson!  Able South Carolina is proud to announce that we have partnered with the South Carolina Department of Education, AccessAbility, Walton Options for Independent Living, the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, the University of South Carolina, and local education agencies to create the South Carolina Pathways Project.  The SCPP is designed to help youth with disabilities transition out of high school. It provides alternative pathways to a high school diploma for those who may need extra support in school. Students can also apply to receive Pre-Employment Transition Services, which allows them to learn job skills such as professionalism and financial literacy. Finally, students can receive a paid internship which includes on-the-job learning opportunities as well as explicit instruction.  The SCPP works because it is disability-led. As people with disabilities, we are the experts in our own lives. The SCPP has a workgroup that includes present and former students with disabilities. They meet monthly to learn self-advocacy, leadership, and pre-employment skills. The workgroup also provides input to the Implementation Committee to help shape the SCPP in a way that benefits other students, based on their invaluable lived experiences.  We interviewed the Student Stakeholder Workgroup Chairperson, Julianna Carr. Read on to learn more about her and the SCPP.  What is your disability?   I have Autism.  What grade are you in?   I am starting 12th grade  What are some of your hobbies?   I am in the flag corps, and I like to swim, read, listen to music, crochet, and hang out with my dog and cat.  What is something you wish people understood about your disability?  I wish people understood that sometimes I need more support than I do at other times. This doesn’t mean I can’t do things or do good work. I just need different supports at different times, depending on how my Autism is affecting me.   What are your career goals?   My career goal is to go to college for either psychology or Autism Behavioral Studies.  Why did you join the Student Stakeholder Workgroup (SSW) and how has it helped you?  I joined the Student Stakeholder Workgroup so that I could advocate for others. Through the SSW, I learned about the SC Youth Leadership [Forum] and attended as a delegate in July 2025. I also have had the opportunity to present to the SCPP Implementation Council and share SSW recommendations for improving disability outcomes from the youth disability perspective.  Both of these experiences have helped me develop my leadership abilities.  What does disability pride mean to you, and why is it important?   Disability pride to me means owning your disability as a part of who you are. It’s important because it can feel really rewarding and uplifting when you accept your disability.   If you’re interested in learning more about the Pathways Program, check out the button link below.  sc-pathways.org Youth Spotlight: Avery Grace Arthur This month’s spotlight is Avery Grace Arthur. While she has lived with autism and a genetic condition her whole life, she wasn’t introduced to the disability community or the concept of disability pride until she and the other students in her class at her local high school received lessons from Able SC’s YTS Hannah Wood. While Avery Grace was initially unsure what to expect, she quickly established herself as a leader. She participated in lessons about self-advocacy, receiving accommodations, and disability pride while also encouraging her shyer peers to join in.  Hannah nominated Avery Grace for the Disability EmpowHer Network program. The Disability EmpowHer Network matches disabled young women and femmes with an older mentor with disabilities who can guide them and help promote their independence. Avery Grace applied and was accepted. In 2024, she started meeting with her mentor and fellow mentees via zoom, but something bigger was about to happen!  The Disability EmpowHer Network invited Avery Grace to go camping in the Adirondack Mountains. Her community helped her raise money for her plane ticket and camp fee in just a month, which she is grateful for. She had never been somewhere overnight without a family member, but she bravely flew to New York. While there, she was able to meet mentor Sophie Poost, in person.  In 2025, EmpowHer encouraged its members to develop their own community projects, which they would present to legislators in Washington DC during their summer trip. Avery Grace got right to work! A self-described “people person”, Avery Grace was excited to help her community. She learned that people with disabilities often needed extra help during emergency situations, so she decided to make her project about fire safety for people with disabilities.  Avery Grace toured her local fire stations and educated the firefighters there about people with disabilities and their unique needs. She also learned how to make “emergency kits” that contained basic necessities such as food, water, and first aid supplies. She stated that she “liked helping people” and was excited to give back to the community that supported her journey with the EmpowHer Network.  July 2025 came around and Avery Grace was excited to see DC. She traveled with her fellow mentees and their mentors and got to see many historical monuments while having fun with her peers. Avery Grace was set to meet with SC legislators and tell them about her project, but she unfortunately got sick with COVID. However, there was a silver lining! Congressman Ralph Norman heard about her advocacy and sent her a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.  Even though she has finished the EmpowHer Network program, Avery Grace is excited to continue being a self-advocate and hopes to continue helping both the disability community and her local community. Maybe someday she will become a mentor herself! We are very proud and can’t wait to see what else she will achieve! To learn more about the Disability EmpowHer Network, visit the button link below. disabilityempowhernetwork.org

Sponsor of the Month: Disability EmpowHer Network Disability EmpowHer Network empowers girls and women with disabilities through mentoring and transformational learning experiences. We recognize that disabled girls have significantly lower high school graduation rates and higher unemployment rates than their nondisabled peers. We also know that girls and women with disabilities are less likely to have successful disabled women mentors. Through multi-stage skill-building, empowerment, and mentoring programs, we address these issues while also empowering disabled young women to live to their fullest potential and have the confidence to lead. October is Dwarfism Awareness Month! Dwarfism is a word that describes a group of different conditions that affect growth and development, causing people with dwarfism to be shorter than average. Many people with dwarfism prefer to be called “Little People”.  But dwarfism isn’t just about size. Many types of dwarfism can cause different medical conditions. It is a time to become aware of the unique needs and challenges that people with dwarfism face, as well as their unique contributions to society and culture. Able SC Youth Events & Programs Calendar   Equip Hangouts Equip Hangouts allow youth with disabilities to spend time with each other, make friends, and develop disability pride. They occur virtually on the first Thursday of every month and occur in person in both Greenville and Columbia on the third Thursday of every month.  Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Virtual Days: October 2 and November 6 In-Person Days: October 16 and November 20 Cost: Free Equip Registration Link If you have any questions or need help registering, email equip@able-sc.org or call us at 864.235.1421. Registration is required.   Creative Writing Club Hone your creativity and writing skills by joining our Discord’s creative writing sessions on the last Thursday of each month. Date:  October 30 Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Location: Online Cost: Free Equip Registration Link   Peer-to-Peer, Coast-to-Coast Zoom hangout held on the first Saturday of each month that allows youth with disabilities to connect with their peers in Orange County, CA. Date:  October 4 and November 1 Time: 2 pm - 3 pm ET | 11 am - 12 pm PT Location: Online Cost: Free Registration for Peer-to-Peer, Coast-to-Coast   Learn Programming with SC-CATER Learn Unity programming on the second Saturday of each month. You can receive a certificate if you attend every class. Date: October 11 and November 8 Time: 10 am - 12:30 pm Location: SC-CATER Cost: Free SC-CATER Registration Form

Able SC Youth Team Wishlist Support Disabled Youth! Check out our Amazon Youth Team Wishlist to support our youth programs including Equip, SC Youth Leadership Forum, and others. Wishlist Able SC Youth Services The transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities can be complicated. As an organization staffed and board-directed by a majority of people with disabilities ourselves, we understand the needs of youth, their families, and the professionals supporting them in ways that other agencies may not. Able SC Youth Programs

subscribe donate our work

Able South Carolina 720 Gracern Road Suite 106 | Columbia, South Carolina 29210 803.779.5121 | advocacy@able-sc.org Follow Us Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser