Lui Sarinan, 17, skimmed the job description taped to the plastic folding table. She tucked her pink hair behind her ears, and looked up at the interviewer.
“I’m the best candidate for this job, because I’m able to get all my responsibilities done in a timely manner,” said Sarinan, a senior at Amundsen High School in Lincoln Square. “And I’m very friendly. I wave at everyone who says hi to me.”
Afterward, interviewer Juman Kekhia slid an assessment sheet across the table.
“You were really prepared for all your answers. You killed it,” said Kehkia, a manager at Chicago Public Schools’ Office for Students with Disabilities, or OSD. Sarinan beamed.
The mock interview Friday was part of the district’s annual OSD Transition Fair, a two-day event that connects students with disabilities to post-secondary opportunities. More than 1,300 high schoolers gathered at Malcolm X College on the Near West Side for resume clinics, workshops and City Colleges of Chicago enrollment support.
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The event drew students from more than 80 schools across the city.
“I think our world and our country set up a very specific way, and if you don’t follow that mold, it’s very easy to fall into the cracks,” said Vince McCollum, an Amundsen diverse learner teacher, who attended with his class. “I think it’s important to be able to educate students on what their own choices are.”
There are about 54,800 students with documented disabilities at CPS, making up about 17.3% of the district. CPS has at times struggled to accommodate all of its special education students, from staffing shortages to transportation issues. The share of students with disabilities in CPS has increased over the past decade, up from 13.1% in 2015, mirroring national trends.
Compared with their peers, CPS students with learning disabilities are slightly less likely to graduate within four years, according to a recent analysis by the To&Through Project. They are also significantly less likely to enroll in a four-year college immediately after graduation. Just over half of CPS students without disabilities matriculated to a four-year institution in 2024, compared to only one-quarter of those receiving services for a learning disability.
That makes the transition fair all the more important, according to Joshua Long, who leads the district’s special education department. Students are at a critical juncture as they move away from personalized support services at their schools, he said.
“In a lot of conversations, students with disabilities aren’t necessarily the first population that people think about, when we think about what’s after high school,” Long said. “We have to really force that conversation to say, ‘Okay, what resources are there?’”
In one room, a team from City Colleges of Chicago guided students step by step through the enrollment process. In another, vendors lined the walls with display boards advertising job opportunities. Elsewhere, students explored different careers with virtual reality headsets, or signed up for a Chicago CityKey — a valid ID providing access to the city’s libraries and public transit system.
Sarinan, the Amundsen senior, has already been accepted at Grand Valley State University to study marine biology. But she said it was useful to participate in mock interviews and explore summer jobs before classes start in the fall. “I’m just really excited,” she added, before approaching the interview table.
Her teacher, McCollum, brought Sarinan and about 20 other seniors to the event. He first taught the group four years ago, calling it “fulfilling” to guide the students through graduation. “We wanted to make sure everyone could make an informed decision after high school,” he said.
What are students most excited about? “The free stuff,” McCollum added with a laugh. “But with the free stuff comes information.”
Dalia Pineda, 18, sat holding a royal blue City Colleges shirt and a matching water bottle. She just completed her residency verification with City Colleges staff, allowing her to enroll in classes after graduation. She plans on attending Malcolm X.
“It feels good to be done,” said Pineda, a senior at Acero Garcia High School in Archer Heights. “It feels like I can finally relax, like, ‘Okay, I already did all the steps.’”
Pineda hopes to become either a dental hygienist or a radiographer. She’s had a specialized education plan through high school, but staff at City Colleges have made her feel confident that she’ll be supported, she said.
“I could see myself here, like walking past the dental hygienist classes,” Pineda said. “I could see myself here.”