An Exceptional Journey

Graduation season is a special moment where students and their families can celebrate not only the culmination of their academic achievement, but also appreciate the work, the sacrifice, the persistence, and the support that it took to help them reach this milestone.

Not all paths to graduation are the same, and some are uniquely exceptional.

Kevin Ortiz, a 2024 graduate of Maynard Jackson High School, completed a post-secondary vocational program in May, an accomplishment only his mother believed was possible at the start of his journey.

When Kevin was two and a half years old, he lost his ability to speak, and his life changed completely. He was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges with social interaction, communication, and restricted or repetitive behaviors, with symptoms appearing in early childhood.

Kevin’s case was on the more severe end of the spectrum as he didn’t speak for years and experienced several other difficulties due to his disability. He struggled with bathroom training and wouldn’t eat solid foods well into his early childhood years.

However, his mother, Ms. Elba Ortiz, never gave up on her son’s future. Kevin attended elementary school at Whitefoord Elementary School (now Toomer Elementary School) where they helped Elba find therapy resources for Kevin.

“[The school] started helping with speech, physical therapy, and occupational therapy for him,” she said in Spanish through a translator. “Sometimes, I wondered if he was being treated well, if he was eating well, or sometimes I had negative thoughts. But, over time, I gave [Kevin] more reassurance so that he could be more self-assured at school.”

“The teachers helped a lot with Kevin,” she added. “We always had meetings to review the plan and we had these meetings every month to see how he was progressing.”

Elba, a single mother with two other children with special needs, did everything she could to find or create supports for Kevin and his younger siblings. She found therapists outside of the school for additional help. When Kevin was younger and walked on his tip toes, she would buy sand for him to walk on because it helped him relax. She even made custom-crafted toys for children to play with so they wouldn’t get overstimulated.

Her determination and perseverance helped Kevin gain confidence as he progressed in school, and by the time he reached high school, he was not only speaking again, but developing into the well-rounded student everyone loved to be around.

“When I met Kevin, he was this big, jolly guy who walked in and he already had a joke,” Ricardo Moore, a special education teacher at Maynard Jackson High School said. “He knew my name, but the first thing he said was ‘Hi, Mr. Moore, or is it Mr. Moose.’ Just in a joking manner and I knew I had the right kid.”

Moore, who has been teaching at Atlanta Public Schools (APS) for 21 years, was Kevin’s favorite teacher. He first met Kevin when he was in ninth grade at Grady High School (now Midtown High School) and was amazed to see this well-rounded kid after learning about his story.

“You really don’t know what Kevin knows until you have a conversation with him,” he said. “Kevin is a self-starter. He’s self-motivated. He’s inquisitive. He reads a lot and listens to a lot of news.”

“He always wanted to be a civil-rights attorney, and he wanted to work for Hispanics, and represent them,” he added. “It’s just one of those things where he’s impressive if you listen to him.”

After transferring to Jackson High School when the special education program moved schools, the big, jolly kid with the high-pitched voice really blossomed into an all-around student.

He would help handicapped students in wheelchairs get to lunch and help them onto the elevators. He worked on his adaptive skills, work-readiness skills, and was one of the few Exceptional Education students who could have a conversation with his “homeboy” Mr. Moore.

“That’s the first thing that really stood out to me,” Moore said. “It’s rare that I have a conversation about everything with a kid, and I could have conversations with Kevin about sports. He could tell me who was going to play tonight, what games are coming on, what time, and the station. He just knew everything.”

By the time Kevin graduated from Jackson High School, he had already surpassed the expectations of his doctors and therapists. He was not only speaking but engaging. In class, he could answer questions, add to the conversation, and even provide more information.

Two days a week, he would work at the Walmart in the West End, and Moore had enough confidence in Kevin’s self-sufficiency that he didn’t have to monitor him as closely as his other peers. That’s how Moore knew that Kevin was ready for the next step in his journey.

The APS Exceptional Education transition program, located on the Phoenix Academy campus, is where students with disabilities develop their social skills and work skills to help prepare them for life after APS.

According to APS Exceptional Education coordinator Jinya Nunnaly, 88% of students who finish the APS transition program go on to either part-time, full-time, or supportive employment, and a few enroll in another post-secondary program.

Students in the transition program work on building their resumes, simulate workplace, and work as interns for the Georgia Aquarium, Grady Hospital, and The Westin hotel while learning multiple skills and behaviors to help them become more self-reliant at home, at work, and in society.

“I knew Kevin was ready for the transition program because part of the curriculum is going into the community and working,” Moore said. “I could give him a task, and he’d complete it, and it would be meticulous. If it was clearing shelves, doing putbacks, I didn’t necessarily have to monitor him. He loved to work, so I knew he was ready.”

When Kevin moved on to the transition program, he interned at the Georgia Aquarium, but he really shined at OxBlue, a construction camera service provider that often works with the APS transition program to provide opportunities for students with disabilities.

“They loved him at OxBlue,” APS transition specialist Dr. Michelle Mainor said. “He pretty much set the stage for the other students. For everyone who came after Kevin, [OxBlue] expected those students to have the same rigor as Kevin.”

At the time, OxBlue didn’t have a part-time position to hire Kevin, but he left a mark with the company, which has continued to provide internship opportunities for students in the APS transition program.

The APS transition program only has a small window to prepare students with disabilities for life beyond the classroom and APS. The program allows students to remain in APS after graduation until they are 22 years old, and Kevin, who is now 23 years old, continues to reach new milestones.

After leaving APS, Kevin continued his education and training with an agency that helps people with disabilities find and maintain employment. According to Elba, Kevin is looking forward to an opportunity to get a job working at the Georgia State Capitol after he has received his certificate.

Today, like most young adults, Kevin is looking forward to a break after he completes his certificate program. He plans to take a vacation and visit his family in Mexico. He still keeps up with the Atlanta Braves and will be rooting for Team Mexico in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His remarkable journey overcoming the gauntlet of obstacles in his way wouldn’t have been possible without his mother.

“I give his mother a lot of credit,” Moore said. “To see him come from my autism class to working a job, it shows me that it can work. But it takes more than me. It takes a great parent.”

“A lot of times, parents are just ok with the check that they get every month and deal with things as they are,” he added. “This makes me feel like there’s hope and there are kids that will be able to work.”

Kevin’s younger siblings, Joseph Ortiz-Robles and Evelyn Ortiz-Robles, also have special needs and attend APS schools. Even though they don’t have the same challenges Kevin had, Elba has observed that the path for students with disabilities in APS has come a long way.

Students with disabilities in APS write books, host their own prom, participate in extra-curricular activities, and compete in the Special Olympics every Spring.

“School today is very different from where Kevin was starting,” she added. “It was harder back then because autism wasn’t well understood or common. Now, schools have more programs and are making big strides that can help other children. The children that are coming after Kevin have many more opportunities.”