School Beat: Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy—A Long Way From Ohio

Jack has Cerebral Palsy and uses a walker to get around. He decided several years ago that he didn't want to use a wheelchair, so he's highly motivated to develop his walking ability. He also uses an augmentative communication device to express himself and to do his schoolwork. Nothing physical is easy for our son, but he seldom complains, and we've never seen evidence of any type of self-pity. He knows we believe in him and he believes in himself.

We'd known we wanted to eventually relocate in San Francisco, and when we hit a dead end with Columbus schools, we started investigating the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). I looked at numerous elementary school websites, and liked what I saw.

I checked out the Special Education page, and it offered a great deal more options than we'd been given in Ohio. I came across the website for Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy (HMCRA), and knew that was the school I wanted Jack to attend. The mission statement was in line with my own social and educational beliefs, and it just felt right to me.

We made the move to San Francisco in July of 2005. We were lucky enough to be able to enroll Jack in the HMCRA inclusion program, and our entire family stepped into a wonderful community. Harvey Milk has students with various disabilities and learning challenges in each grade level. Diversity is valued throughout the school community, and kids with disabilities are truly a part of this.

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