Flathead High School students Hannah Cantrell and Katherine Gonzales focused on making school more inclusive for children with disabilities in preparation for the fast approaching Montana HOSA — Future Health Professionals state competition. 

Cantrell, a sophomore, and Gonzales, a junior, are among 27 Flathead High School HOSA — Future Health Professionals readying for the State Leadership Conference in April. HOSA is an international career and technical organization that provides students with opportunities to explore health care fields through education, leadership, competition and training.

The program gave Cantrell and Gonzales an opportunity to raise awareness in their school community on the importance of inclusion in improving the mental health of students with disabilities.

“Every kid is different,” Gonzales said. “And we can learn from every kid.”

The pair organized a community awareness campaign by learning about the issues and concerns of the population they wanted to speak on. In addition to online research, Cantrell and Gonzales interviewed peers with disabilities and spent time with elementary students with disabilities on the playground at recess to gain insight. Gonzales made sure to bring balloons.

“When I was in elementary school, I would do things with the life skills group and I loved hanging out with all the kids. I would love to see them more included,” Cantrell said, touching on why the topic was important to her. “Part of the reason we chose inclusion is because that’s something that can easily promote someone’s mental health.”

Gonzalez said the project was an opportunity to learn about the experiences and concerns of students with disabilities who she might not have gotten a chance to meet otherwise.

More than one in 10 children ages 6 to 14 in the U.S. have a disability, according to youth.gov.

People with disabilities face an increased risk of mental health problems compared to their peers. Many experience stigma, prejudice, discrimination and social exclusion. 

“Social stigmas are often at the root of poor mental health and mental illness among individuals with disabilities rather than their disability itself,” Cantrell and Gonzales cited from the United Disabilities Service Foundation.

This is one area they thought they could make an impact by raising awareness of the importance of inclusion.

During presentations with Kalispell Middle School students, Cantrell and Gonzales asked questions about what students did for fun and their favorite subject, for example, to help classmates discover they might have more in common with each other than they think. It was also an opportunity for students to find new ways to connect.

“The more you relate to someone, the less different it would seem,” Cantrell said. “Connections are really big in any relationship, whether it’s a friendship or more. Finding commonalities and common ground among differences is a big thing. It makes stuff easier.”

When interviewing high school students, Cantrell and Gonzales would ask questions more specific to mental health, such as: What is hard about school? What makes them happy? What did they wish their peers knew about them? One student’s response that stood out to them was from a student with autism who said he wished other students didn’t judge him all the time or look at him and their friends in weird ways because of his autism.

“Whenever we presented to the kids we gave them little [paper] hearts and said, ‘Hey, can you write down something that makes you feel included? Or some ways you can include someone?’” Cantrell said.

The paper hearts became part of an art project. Gonzalez painted a large globe, which was surrounded by the hearts and displayed on a wall at Kalispell Middle School.

“Everyone cares about what their peers think. Even if people say they don’t care as much, they still care. And that’s just human nature,” Cantrell said.

The pair also presented about using inclusive language, or what’s referred to as person-first language when talking to people, emphasizing that there is more to an individual than a disability.

“Put the person before the disability,” Cantrell said before giving an example, “A child with autism, not an autistic child, because that’s not who they are. They’re still a person and they still deserve to be recognized as a person first.”

They also advised asking what a person’s disability is rather than assuming. They said that people can assume, however, that everyone can do any task without assistance, and adapt as needed or required, information that Gonzalez used in posters she created for their project.

One anecdotal takeaway the students had was that elementary-aged children appeared more open to including others and accepting differences compared to teens or adults.

“Little kids are always so much less judgmental … They [can] set the example for how adults should behave in the sense that they don’t care whether someone acts different, looks different or talks differently,” Cantrell said.

The two HOSA students will present their project to judges at the state competition in Billings and will submit a portfolio documenting their work through video, photos and their presentation slideshow.

The community awareness project is one of many competitive events that students choose to participate in, in the areas of health science, health professions, leadership, teamwork and emergency preparedness. 

Competitive events allow students to demonstrate what they’ve learned about health care careers by presenting the work they completed. 

Other competitors may present on projects such as public service announcements, research posters and career displays. Others might compete in debate, public speaking and writing events. Cantrell and Gonzales are also competing in events that include demonstrating technical skills such as CPR or taking a dental impression.

HOSA is a component of Flathead’s four-year biomedical program. Competing at state is optional and students choose how involved they want to be in HOSA.

Flathead science teacher and HOSA adviser Linzi Napier said competing helps the information and skills students learn “stick,” because they are invested in doing well.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.