MACON, Ga. — The Bibb County School District will be hosting a district-wide Transition Resource Fair for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
About 35 agencies and organizations will provide information and resources to kids and families.
Last year was the school district's first time hosting it, but it was just open to Howard Middle School and Howard High School. Now, it's been extended to all Bibb County Schools and Central Georgia.
Tracy Martin and her husband Basque are parents to 19-year-old Julius, who has been diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy and autism.
They plan to go to the fair with Julius to see what resources they have to prepare him for the next stages in life.
"He does very well, he's very accepted within our community, and he's very supported," Tracy said. "There are not a lot of resources for our children, and if there are, it's unknown to the parents."
Tracy said Julius is currently at Howard High School in their extended-year program, but they're looking to expose him to more resources and opportunities once he ages out of school.
"The thought of 'Okay now we have to go to this next step' or 'What type of programs are going to be available that's going to be a good fit for him and his personality'?" Tracy said. "Bringing the exposure for our children is also assisting us as parents as well and gives us a voice."
Basque says it's all about comfort with his son Julius, so he wants to know if there are any summer programs that are safe and effective for his development.
"It's very difficult to do it when you don't have a support system, but programs help a lot when families can find those programs and people can kind of direct them in the path," Basque said.
Charles Baima is a lead special education teacher at Howard High School, and he's organizing the resource fair.
"It starts with ensuring that our kids have what they need to be successful," Baima said.
Baima said lots of people tend to look at the negatives, but fairs like this provide important resources for students and families. In doing so, they are setting kids up like Julius for success, he said..
"We focus on their abilities. Not what they're not able to do, but we want to focus on what they are able to do," Baima said.
The Transitional Resource Fair is on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will take place at the Bibb County School District Professional Learning Center, located at 2007 Riverside Drive.