Alexander High School in Douglas County, GA is participating in the Jr. Dream Team, a program empowering student leaders to plan a Dream Experience for a fellow student living with special needs. The students have selected 17-year-old, Kevin, a senior living with a mild intellectual disability (MID). This condition is characterized by intellectual functioning at IQ levels between 70 and 55. Kevin has difficulty learning and comprehending information. He also lives with behavior deficits, so his level of maturation, learning, personal independence, and social responsibility is not that of other kids his age. As a result, Kevin’s school day is spent primarily in classes with other MID students which are adapted to meet intellectual and social levels. In addition to academics, these classes also emphasize job-readiness skills and social behaviors.
Kevin is, however, able to participate in a mainstream PE class. The students have embraced Kevin as they do everyone else. This time during his school day has allowed him to develop relationships with students outside those he spends time within the MID classroom. This is one of the reasons Kevin loves sports so much—it provides him with an arena where he can be on a more level playing field with other students and gives him a sense of belonging.
Kevin loves basketball and, in particular, loves Steph Curry. He knows every Steph Curry stat and finds a way to interject them into almost all his conversations. Kevin would love to someday play in the NBA and aspires to be like his sports hero.
