Breaking Down Barriers: The Importance of Life Skills
Imagine an everyday task like grocery shopping, broken down into individual steps: planning a list, getting to the store and navigating through it, budgeting and paying for everything, and then going home to prepare the meal with the correct ingredients.
Now, consider how much more difficult that would be if you were missing even one of the steps. Without learning the necessary life skills, how would you know what to buy, where to find it, and how to get it to your house? It would be incredibly difficult to feel confident in your independence.
For many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), this is their reality. Limited access to transportation, societal stigmas, and having nowhere to learn life skills can be daunting barriers. This lack of real-world practice impedes their ability to build the confidence needed to navigate these situations independently.
Recognizing this gap, CEL launched the Catalyst Life Skills Day Program, where people who have finished high school learn and practice meaningful and necessary skills that translate to everyday life. What began as a small pilot program has evolved into a year-round day program designed to create opportunities that promote personal growth, independence, and confidence in daily activities. And it’s working.
Noel A. has seen the impact of the program on her son John, saying, “The Catalyst program provides hundreds of touches on the life skills that will make John’s life full and enriched while providing much needed self-esteem experiences that everyone needs in order to feel good about oneself. From everyday living skills to self care and safety knowledge, he will need these life skills no matter where he ends up living his life.”
The Catalyst curriculum features in-depth learning and practice of a new topic every few weeks. Themes are selected with member goals and needs in mind and include basic money management, personal safety, health and hygiene, community resources, household tasks, and more. Coached by CEL staff and volunteers, members plan, shop for, and make their lunches every day. The household tasks they practice at CEL lead to greater participation in their homes, and an increased interest in learning more.
Catalyst is also fun! In between all the learning, members are becoming friends, learning shared interests, and growing in their social confidence skills with a variety of people they encounter. Between themed sessions, members will have a designated “Fun Week” where they pick whatever they want to do, and enjoy navigating it together.
Jenny L. is a Catalyst member who is outstanding at making new people feel welcome, and appreciates the variety of the program, saying, “I love coming to CEL and Catalyst. I get to see my friends and have fun. In Catalyst, I learned how to advocate for myself and that’s important.”
Active partnership with the community is an important component as members grow in confidence as they navigate places like Northbrook Bank & Trust to learn more about money, understand how to use the Metra commuter train, and visit our longtime friends at the Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Department.
During the DBFD visit, members learned what first responders do, when to call 911, and explored an ambulance to feel more comfortable if one is ever needed. They also received valuable cooking safety advice, which is particularly useful when preparing meals at home or during daily lunch routines at CEL. The visit was hands-on and engaging, with members interacting with firefighters, touring the station, and learning about fire safety, including how to prevent fires and essential tips for keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.
Lead Catalyst Instructor Ryan Grant explains how the variety of experience is a vital component, saying, “The importance of the program lies in that it isn’t just a day program – we support members in achieving their individual goals. They have the desire and motivation to strive for greater independence, coming in to learn and try out new things they haven’t done before.”
To learn more about Catalyst Life Skills day program, becoming a community partner, or volunteering within the program, please click here.
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