For the Flores family, the difference they're seeing in their daughter, Mia, is clear.

“[She’s developed] more life skills, independent of what they're teaching her,” Mia’s mother, Mary, said. “But now she's helping more with the kitchen stuff and laundry, where in the past I would just limit it."

Mia has Down syndrome, and the 20-year-old Sharyland ISD student is one of the first in the district to be part of the new 18+ Steps Program.

The program helps young adults with disabilities build confidence, job skills, and independence at their facility. On Wednesday, the district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility.

“This transition program is for students that have completed all graduation requirements in high school,” Sharyland ISD Special Education Director Vanessa Leal said

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