Photo by Julianna Leopold

ATLANTA—”Watch guys,” Harper Mitchell said enthusiastically, not moving an inch until all eyes focused on her.

Once the crowd was locked in, Harper launched herself onto a crash pad in the sensory room at St. Mary’s School in Rome. The third grader tumbled onto the cushion, delighted to have an audience clap as she got ready to do it all again.

For Harper, who has Down syndrome, the room is a place to play and be herself. At St. Mary’s, she is also part of a community where classmates greet her in the hallways, teachers encourage her learning and her mother no longer feels she has to explain why her daughter belongs in the classroom.

“Everybody loves her; it’s the sweetest thing,” said her mother, Lisa Mitchell.

Harper is one of 22 students supported by Open Doors, a program of the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Office of Catholic Schools that helps educate students with intellectual disabilities and other diverse learning needs.

Through individualized support, classroom accommodations and curriculum modifications, the program aims to help students learn alongside their peers while giving families the opportunity to experience the welcome of Catholic education.

As the archdiocese advances its “Rooted in Christ—Growing in Faith” capital campaign, Lisa Cordell, director of Open Doors, hopes funding will expand the resources needed to welcome and support more students like Harper.

Sitting at a welcoming table

Before Harper enrolled at St. Mary’s, her mother said finding the right educational environment was difficult. Harper had attended a public school, where Mitchell felt she had to advocate for her daughter to receive the support needed.

“I feel like the opportunities for kids that have a diagnosis are not always open,” Mitchell said. “You have to advocate for them to be in a classroom, and as a parent, that’s so frustrating because you’re trying to explain why your child deserves to be here.”

Mitchell learned about Open Doors through Jessica Jackson, whose son, Truett, also has Down syndrome and attends St. Mary’s. After seeing a Facebook post about Truett attending summer camp at the school, Mitchell reached out to learn more.

Meeting with school staff helped her see a different possibility as it “was nice to sit at a table where Harper felt welcome.”

“I didn’t feel like I had to explain why my child deserved to be here,” she said. “It was just a complete 360 from what we had come from.”

Now, Mitchell said, Harper is eager for school and is surrounded by classmates and staff members who know her.

“Harper had a doctor’s appointment one morning and as I was taking her back to school, she said to me, ‘are we almost there yet?,’” Mitchell said. “I was like, ‘are you ready to go back to school?’ And she said yes. And so, her being excited about going to school, that makes my heart happy.”

Truett Jackson, who has Down syndrome, takes his shoes and socks off in the sensory room at St. Mary’s School in Rome. These rooms offer students opportunities to decompress, move around and use materials such as cuddle boxes and fidgets. These spaces can benefit any student or staff member who needs a break, while offering additional support for children with sensory needs. Photo by Julianna Leopold

The welcome extends beyond the classroom. Harper is involved in cheerleading and soccer, where she has friends who play alongside her. She is greeted by staff and students throughout the day, creating a sense of familiarity and belonging that has made a difference for their family.

Two months in and thriving

For Jessica Jackson, finding a school for Truett meant searching for a place that could support his educational needs while also providing the Christian education that mattered to their family.

Jackson, whose family has six members who attend or have graduated from St. Mary’s, said she spent many hours researching schools, speaking with other parents and praying about where Truett would be able to learn.

She had struggled to find an option that could provide the support he needed while allowing him to attend school with his siblings.

A turning point came when Father Paul Porter, pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Rome, invited Jackson and another mother of a child with Down syndrome to lunch.

During their conversation, he asked about their experiences and discussed the Church’s desire to do more to educate children with disabilities.

“He shared with us that the Catholic Church as a whole felt a conviction that, as a fully pro-life organization, they could not continue to tell parents,
 ‘I’m sorry, these kids are too much for us to educate,’ and they wanted to change that,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the conversation was “music to my ears.”

“It’s every special needs parent’s dream to hear that, not only that somebody will include your child, but that they feel like your child has something to offer them in return,” Jackson said.

Now a kindergartner, Truett is making progress in learning and communication, Jackson said. She has seen changes in his attention span, ability to recognize things and willingness to express ideas.

“Truett’s thriving,” she said. “He’s been in school for only two months, but I’ve seen a year’s worth of progress.”

Jackson also sees the benefits of time with classmates. At school, children eagerly approach Truett to offer hugs and high fives.

“Every time I go to the school to take Truett out early, or if there’s an event, I am blown away every time, because they get genuinely so excited to see Truett.”

Jackson shared those interactions are meaningful because they help Truett feel welcomed, and they show him that he is an important part of his community.

The individualized collaboration between the family and school has also been important, Jackson said. Staff members communicate about his progress and work with the family to accommodate therapy appointments and other needs.

The ‘big guy’ of Brookhaven

At Our Lady of the Assumption School in Brookhaven, first-grader Brady Irr brings his own energy to the classroom.

Brady, who has Down syndrome, is known for his playful personality and contagious laugh. During a recent activity, he led classmates in a game that had them dancing, spinning and following his movements. The other children eagerly joined in, turning the lesson into a shared moment of fun.

Brady is the middle of three boys in his family.

“Brady is the heart of our family,” Stefanie Irr, his mother, said. “We all fight over who will get snuggles and hugs from Brady daily.”

Heather Subleski, a support teacher at OLA, works with Brady Irr on vocabulary, spelling and other goals. He visits her classroom each day, where lessons are balanced with breaks and chances to move. Photo by Julianna Leopold

She described her son as curious and affectionate, someone who loves music, dancing, exploring outdoors, wrestling with his brothers and helping with household chores.

“He’s the kid who will find a way to play with anyone but is the most in tune with emotions around him,” Irr said. “Brady is the first to give a hug or a boo-boo kiss when needed.”

The family learned about Open Doors through a friend who had read about the program in a Georgia Bulletin article. After discovering Cordell, former principal of OLA, was leading the initiative at the archdiocesan level, they began exploring the option.

Brady is now in a first-grade classroom with his aide, Lauren Mandernack, who provides guidance and support. He follows a modified curriculum that allows him to learn at his own pace and level while remaining with his peers.

“Brady has always been welcomed by his classmates, and the Open Doors program ensures that will continue throughout his school life,” Irr said.

Heather Subleski, a support teacher at OLA, works with Brady on vocabulary, spelling and other goals. He visits her classroom daily, and lessons are balanced with breaks and chances to move.

“I love working with him, it’s been awesome,” Subleski said. “He’s a goofball, and I’m sure people look into my classroom and wonder what’s happening when they see us dancing, because we’re always having so much fun.”

She affectionately calls him “big guy.”

Having their community advocate for Brady’s success has been a blessing, Irr said. The family has seen growth in his learning, social skills and independence.

“We know he’s in a place where he’s truly valued,” she said.

For families of children with disabilities, finding the right school can involve weighing questions about acceptance, safety, accommodations or whether they will have to advocate continually for their children. Irr shared that this is the first school year in which her family has not felt the need to question those things.

“This school year has been one of the more peaceful transitions to date,” Irr said. “From the start it has felt like Brady is being fully supported, encouraged, accepted and thriving.”

Open Doors has not only allowed her children to attend school together but has taught the community about inclusion and friendship.

“It’s also important for the students to know, love and befriend kids who are different,” she said. “The Open Doors program makes it much attainable for families of children like Brady.”

Harper Mitchell, a student in the Open Doors program at St. Mary’s School in Rome, plays in the Tumbl Trak cuddle box, a stretchy sensory box that simulates a full-body hug. The sensory room designed to support all the students and teachers. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Expanding efforts through capital campaign

At OLA and St. Mary’s, sensory rooms offer students opportunities to decompress, move around and use materials such as cuddle boxes, crash pads, fidgets, toys, books and art supplies. These spaces can benefit any student or staff member who needs a break, while offering additional support for children with sensory needs.

At St. Mary’s, Open Doors coordinator Kyser Pritchett works with Harper and Truett, helping them participate in school life and build their skills. At OLA, Brady receives support from Subleski and Mandernack. These individualized supports help students work toward their own goals while remaining part of the wider community.

The Rooted in Christ—Growing in Faith capital campaign seeks to raise $185 million over five years to strengthen the archdiocese and support its growing communities. Among its priorities is making Catholic education more accessible and helping schools serve more families.

The campaign includes $40 million designated to endow access and drive enrollment across Catholic schools. Cordell hopes that investment can help expand the resources needed for students with disabilities.

“All of our schools are at different places still with Open Doors, but they’re all working towards the same goal of having inclusion,” Cordell said.

One priority for Cordell is sensory rooms. A goal is to equip every school in the archdiocese with such a space.

Another goal is to expand professional development for educators so teachers can better understand and respond to the needs of students with diverse learning profiles. As part of that initiative, the Office of Catholic Schools held a two-day institute on “Universal Design for Learning,” an educational framework designed to remove barriers to learning for students with disabilities in their schools. Two hundred and nineteen educators participated in the workshop.

Alongside expanding development for teachers is increasing access to specialists. Cordell hopes to expand the access to speech-language therapists and teachers who can work at multiple schools. This could help schools access professional support when they cannot employ a full-time specialist.

Cordell and Kim Shields, associate superintendent for the Office of Catholic Schools, visit schools to see how the program is developing and what support educators need.
When visiting, Shields is always stunned by how much encouragement classmates provide.

“Harper has buddies that help her with different topics.” Shields said. “Truett and Brady aren’t afraid to talk to the older kids, and those students are always eager to help. It’s amazing to see how much they want to see them succeed. The kids are really helping each other.”

For Brady, Harper and Truett, the impact of inclusion is seen in the way their communities have supported them. For their parents, the Open Doors program has allowed their children to be treated not as exceptions to the classroom, but as established members of the school community.

As the archdiocese looks to the future, Cordell hopes expanded resources will help additional schools provide that opportunity so more children can learn and find a place where they belong.

“All I’ve ever wanted for Harper was for her to feel included,” Mitchell said. “And now, it’s obvious she does.”