Programs & Services Home

Independent living skills are an ongoing area of instruction at the Morton Transition Center and are incorporated into students’ individualized transition goals. Through hands-on, functional learning experiences, students develop skills that support increased independence and successful participation in home, community, and vocational settings.

Instruction may address areas such as:

• Money management, budgeting, and making purchases
• Time management, scheduling, and following routines
• Laundry and personal clothing care
• Cleaning and maintaining shared spaces
• Cooking, meal planning, and meal preparation
• Grocery shopping and navigating community-based activities

These experiences provide students with opportunities to practice and apply functional skills in meaningful, real-life situations as they prepare for life beyond the Morton Transition Center.

Morton Transition Center students participate in a variety of activities that provide opportunities to practice independence, develop social and communication skills, explore vocational interests, and engage in recreational activities. These experiences support students’ individualized transition goals while helping them build confidence and become active members of their communities.

Activities and destinations may include:

• Paisans: Tour and pizza-making experience
• Striker Lanes
• Chicago Auto Show
• Local libraries in Stickney, Cicero, and Berwyn
• Classic Cinemas
• Berwyn Recreation Center
• North Riverside Mall
• Local grocery and retail stores in Cicero and Berwyn
• Brookfield Zoo
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm
• Hop On The Bus travel training
• Chicago Wolves games
• Local restaurants in Cicero and Berwyn
• Morton East/West plays & musicals
• Adler Planetarium
• Cicero Fire Department
• Dental hygienist visit
• Museum of Science and Industry
• Christkindlmarket
• Yorktown Center
• Blaze Pizza
• Shedd Aquarium
• Windy City ThunderBolts baseball game
• Local parks in Berwyn and Cicero
• Field Museum

Community-Based Learning provides MTC students with meaningful opportunities to develop vocational skills and gain real-world work experience in community settings. Students participate in work experiences in Berwyn and Cicero under the guidance of a vocational teacher and job coach.

Through these experiences, students develop workplace skills such as responsibility, communication, time management, following directions, and problem-solving. Community-based employment also helps students increase their independence and prepare for employment and life beyond the Morton Transition Center.

Community-Based Learning includes three levels of vocational development:

• On-Site Job Training: Students develop foundational workplace skills through structured work experiences within a supervised setting.

• Subsidized Community Job Training: Students work in community settings with support from a job coach while developing the skills needed for greater independence in the workplace.

• Competitive Employment: Students participate in paid employment with consultative support from school staff as needed, with the goal of maintaining successful employment in the community.

Students have gained work experience through community partnerships with local businesses and organizations, including the Town of Cicero, La Michoacana, Chick-fil-A, Mission Coffee House, Striker Lanes, and Hawthorne Race Course.