Opening the Doors to Inclusion

This article was first published in the December 2024 issue of ‘Our Parish Times’ (pages 24 and 27).

Anna McDermott-Vitak may be new in her leadership role at the Catholic Coalition for Special Education (CCSE), but she is hardly new to the coalition itself.

Her daughter, Breanna, was her entry point into CCSE many years ago. Anna and her family had recently moved to Montgomery County and they were considering various educational opportunities for Breanna, who has Down syndrome. When the possibility for a Catholic education at Our Lady of Mercy, an early partner with CCSE, presented itself, it immediately corresponded with what Anna wanted for her daughter. “It should be expected and accepted that all children can receive a Catholic education. All children are made in God’s image and likeness”.

This conviction, that Catholic education should be expected and accepted for all students, now serves as a north star for Anna’s new role as the President of the CCSE Board of Directors.

The Catholic Coalition for Special Education, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, provides resources to families and Catholic schools with the goal of opening the door of Catholic education to students with intellectual disabilities. Since its inception in 2004, CCSE has provided $1.3 million dollars to support over 9,000 students in 33 different Catholic schools. The grants range from financial aid for families to technical support for teacher training. While the seeds for the coalition were planted at Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac and at The Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, many schools throughout the Archdiocese now benefit from their assistance. St. Bartholomew and St. John the Evangelist are just two examples of thriving programs.

Anna identified two primary goals to help CCSE’s mission flourish. First, she wants to increase the awareness of the need. “We enrich the lives of students, their school communities, and the broader community”, Anne commented. “Embracing students with special needs has the potential to make a significant impact on everyone in the school. It changes how students relate to one another in a positive way”. School communities, however, sometimes need a push to see the promise. “It takes time for a school to see the benefit of having more diverse students, but the only way to see the benefit is to include in the first place”.

Her second goal is to continue to increase financial support for CCSE. This is especially important as CCSE seeks to partner with more Catholic high schools in Maryland. CCSE ensures that they partner with schools that are willing to make a sustained effort to welcome all students, and not just accept an individual student from time to time. This requires significant personnel, training, and other resources, all of which requires substantial financial support. The task ahead, expanding special education programs in Catholic schools, comes with many challenges and roadblocks, but the mission is crucial. As Ann said, “Ultimately Catholic education is about opening up communication between Christ and the person. We can help provide space for that to happen.”

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