PHOTO BY JULIANNA LEOPOLD

ATLANTA—The Archdiocese of Atlanta is expanding efforts to serve students with learning differences with an initiative designed to make Catholic schools more inclusive.

The Open Doors program, led by the office of Catholic Schools, allows students with disabilities to learn alongside their peers using individualized accommodations or curriculum modifications based on each child’s needs.

The program began as a pilot in two schools and is now in stages of development at 12 of the archdiocese’s 16 elementary and high schools.

“God doesn’t make mistakes,” said Lisa Cordell, director of Open Doors. “He made each of us uniquely and wonderfully in his image. The uniqueness should be something that is celebrated. “We show that celebration by welcoming these children into our schools.”

Cordell spent 22 years at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Atlanta first as technology and curriculum coordinator and later principal. She joined the Office of Catholic Schools two years ago. Cordell shared that during her time at OLA, she saw firsthand families who wanted a Catholic education for their children, but whose needs were not always being met.

“I could see the families the archdiocese wasn’t serving,” she said. “And it broke my heart.”

Former superintendent Diane Starkovich invited Cordell to help launch Open Doors through the encouragement of the late Julie Broom, an associate superintendent.

Our Lady of the Assumption School became the first campus to implement the program, followed by St. John Neumann School in Lilburn. Cordell said all archdiocesan schools are expected to eventually participate.

Open Doors follows an inclusion framework similar to guidance offered by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, which emphasizes educating students with disabilities alongside peers without disabilities.

“We’re not looking for separateness, we’re looking for inclusiveness,” Cordell said. “When you separate kids, the students and their peers do not have the benefit of learning from each other.”

This semester, six students across five archdiocesan schools are participating in Open Doors with modified curricula.

According to program guidelines, qualifying disabilities may include intellectual disabilities, autism, specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, speech-language impairments and other health impairments that affect learning.

Archdiocesan officials note that this list is not exhaustive, and that eligibility is determined individually using evaluations and documented student needs.

Some students work with a facilitator who supports them during class by adjusting vocabulary, reading levels or instructional pacing. Other students receive specialized academic support during school days. Facilitators may be trained professionals or teachers.

“Every child is different, so Open Doors gives us the ability to be flexible,” Cordell said. “The goal of Open Doors is to have our kids included, welcomed and loved just as they are.”

While Catholic schools are not legally required to provide special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Archdiocese of Atlanta follows certain guidelines of Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Families participating in Open Doors must meet specific criteria, including documented evaluations, demonstrated use of prior accommodations and ongoing collaboration with school staff.

Transforming a young life

For Rosa Garcia, whose daughter Daphney is an eighth-grade student at St. John Neumann School, Open Doors has been transformative.

Daphney Garcia steps up to write her group’s answers on the board during her Language Arts class at St. John Neumann School. Daphney was one of the first students with learning differences to take part in the development of the Open Doors program of the Office of Catholic Schools. Photo by Julianna Leopold

A parishioner of St. John Neumann for six years, and a mother of four, Garcia said she recognized early on that Daphney was learning differently. By 2020, Daphney was diagnosed with dyslexia and began receiving tutoring and speech therapy.

“She never gives up, she has this drive to push herself,” Garcia said. “I admire her so much.”

Daphney was one of the first students invited to take part in the development of Open Doors. School administrators and teachers explained how the program would support her learning while keeping her fully integrated into school life.

Daphney receives accommodations, not curriculum modifications, including extended time for tests and projects.

“She always asks questions in class, she’s in student council and yearbook and is an altar server,” Garcia said. “She is a leader and doesn’t let anything hold her back.”

Daphney will attend St. Pius X High School next year. Garcia said the family is grateful for the opportunity Open Doors provides, not only for her daughter, “but for all the kids in the archdiocese that need this program.”

“We’re very grateful for the Catholic education our kids are getting,” she said. “Daphney is in the perfect place to get the education she needs.”

Cordell said Open Doors reflects the Church’s broader mission to build communities where all belong.

“Every person is a child of God, and we as Catholic educators value that,” she said. “Open Doors ensures that children have an opportunity to learn and thrive in a classroom that is rooted in faith.”

For more information about Open Doors, contact Lisa Cordell at lcordell@archatl.com.