Marcy Peter in Talent Show

Marcy Peters, a graduate of Jacqueline Vaughn Occupational High School, Class of 2009 

  As a student at Vaughn High School, Marcy won an internship with Access Living. Access Living is a cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities.  They foster pride, dignty and self-esteem of people with disabilities and enhance the options available to them so that they may choose and maintain individualized and satisfying lifestyles. www.accessliving.org   At Access Living, two of Marcy's supervisors encouraged her to become involved with organizations that are affiliated with them. She is the peer mentor for a group of young adult women. As such, she runs the meetings and organizes their outings. Marcy has also attended a rally in Chicago to support the elimination of I.Q. scores as a college admission requirement.
  In November of 2010, Marcy presented her own seven page Power Point program entitled Disabled Etiquette at the "Speak Up and Speak Out" seminar in Springfield, Illinois.
  In a letter to Dr. Rusty Burnette, Principal of Vaughn High School, Bertha Peters, Marcy's mother stated that she believed that Marcy's ability to accomplish what she has is the result of the caring education that she received from the staff of Vaughn High School. Marcy's supervisors at Access Living are very proud that Marcy has displayed such leadership and courage.  Dr. Burnette and the Vaughn staff have expressed their pride in Marcy's accomplishments and know that she will continue to achieve whatever she persues.
Marcy always embodied that special spark of leadership and Vaughn High School programs and staff nutured and encouraged that quality. 


Vince at fist meeting of V&FAA
  Vincent Smith, graduate of Vaughn High School, class of 2000 was born with Cerebral Palsy. Since graduating, Vincent has been advocating for the disabled of Illinois. He started by handing out flyers at Victory Gardens. There he met people who told him that he could make a difference in the lives of disabled people. He soon began working with the CTA to ensure access and considerations in public transportation. He worked with the Mayor's Office on Disabilities and participated with Best Buddies where he made life-long friends. In addition, Vincent has worked with Access Living and under their tutelage, guides high school students in Special Education classes within the Chicago Public School System. In November 2010, Vincent participated in the "Speak Up Speak Out" Seminar held in Springfield, Illinois. Over the past ten years, Vincent has participated in, led and followed in hundreds of rallies, seminars, councils and conferences to improve living conditions for people like himself. He was recently honored when Governor Quinn appointed him to The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. The council works on problems of housing, education, training, health care, transportation and more that adversely effects the disabled in our community.
   You can find Vincent on Facebook. He would love to hear from his old school mates and from any person needing help with the problems of the disabled.
Marvin Ramsey, class of 2005 was hired by Grasmere Place, a long term Nursing Facility located at 4621 No. Sheridan Rd., in Chicago in January 2011. He learned about the job from someone who worked there. He cooks, does clean-up and serves the residents. He loves to cook and had previously earned his State of Illinois Sanitation worker license. He credits Mr. Murray, the Culinary Arts teacher at Vaughn, with guiding him toward his goal. Marvin continues to study Culinary Arts at Triton College and will qualify for a certificate in 2013. Marvin always wanted to get a job cooking and has taken classes and worked hard to reach that goal. His success proves that you can get what you want if you work hard and refuse to give up. Congratulations Marvin !
In addition, Marvin got his driver's license this week and is looking for a second part-time job.

  Jacqueline Vaughn High School is a unique school as measured by any standard. There are very few  Public schools like it in the country. Vaughn, in it's 15 year history as a stand alone school, has always existed under threat of closure as it is thought that it would save money to make it a part of a larger school, using "Least Restrictive Environment" as an excuse. Disabled students need to be included with abled students because all will have to live in this world together. Nevertheless, studies have proven that girls learn better when boys are not in the same classrooms and gifted students learn best when in programs designed for their intellect and students with learning disabilities and mental disabilities learn best in a patient and accepting environment where their individual special needs are met. If our educational system put the student first and the bureaucracy last, our country would not be so far behind the rest of the world in education and nearly all of our citizens could live independent, productive lives.

  For every high school graduate, graduation is a happy time. A few tears are shed for what has been and then one looks ahead to what is next in life. At Vaughn High School, graduation day is ecstasy, not just because it is over but because it is proof of success. The tears will come later when they realize that they do not face a future with the same hope and opportunities as abled students. These graduates are prepared to do many jobs that don't exist either because the government has sold them to other countries, the econonomic conditions have taken away the jobs and too many employers won't try to work with the disabled. Disability is an equal opportunity condition. It does not break down to race, religion, location, economic security or political beliefs. What is does share is the bottom rung of the ladder along with  the elderly and disenfranchised all of which bleed and long for dignity and opportunity.