Miner School Students Learn Health and Social Skills at Lattof YMCA

Every Thursday since October of 2016, the Lattof YMCA has been visited by students from Miner School in Arlington Heights, a therapeutic day school for students ages 5 to 22 with disabilities, including autism, cognitive disabilities, behavioral disorders, and physical disabilities.

When visiting the Lattof YMCA, Miner School adult students are given the opportunity to get out of the classroom and experience new environments where they can learn important life skills. At the Y, they learn to use locker rooms and fitness machines and also gain social skills by interacting with other adults, apart from their teachers and therapists. The goal is to prepare students for life after school and empower them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay active.

Their teachers have expressed the challenges their students can face after aging out of the program. There are not many services available to adults with disabilities over age 22, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults with disabilities are three times more likely to develop chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer compared to adults without disabilities. At the Y, Miner School students engage in physical activities and use the elliptical machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes.

The Y is proud to be a safe space that these students can come to continue their journey towards a healthy and independent lifestyle, and we are looking forward to our continued friendship with Miner School!