Hi everyone, my name is Helena Donato-Sapp, and I’m a sophomore at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). I’m a multiple globally and nationally award-winning disability activist who has worked for disability rights and inclusion all of my life. I’ve won some of the most prestigious awards in the world for this work – the Yes I Can Academic Award from The Council for Exceptional Children, the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth with disabilities; the UK-based Global Youth Award in Educational Leadership; the Judy Heumann-Elijah Armstrong Award for Disability Activism; and The D-30 Impact List, an award that honors 30 of the world’s most impactful disability leaders who elevate disability pride. You can learn more about my work at www.helenalourdes.com.

As you may know, OCSA faces the threat of closure due to a financial and legal battle with the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD). For 20 years, OCSA worked with SAUSD to offer special education services to students. But in 2019, SAUSD suddenly demanded $19.5 million for special education services that were never provided. This invoice has put OCSA in a financial crisis, threatening the very existence of the school.

This is not just a financial crisis—it is a fight for the survival of a school that has changed the lives of countless students, including mine. Today, I ask for your help. We need the power of our entire community—students, parents, alumni, teachers, staff, friends, arts supporters, and more—to motivate SAUSD to return to mediation to reach a reasonable resolution that places the needs of students first. 

When I first walked through the doors of OCSA earlier this year, I felt something I had never felt at school before. I felt seen. I felt belonging. It took me 10 years to find OCSA, the only place that has 100% supported and championed me without question. Though this is my first year at OCSA, for the first time in my entire education, I feel like I truly belong. 

I have four non-apparent disabilities, and for most of my life, I had to fight just to be understood, to be included, and to feel safe in a classroom. I’ve always worked hard, and I’ve never been afraid of challenges, but the hardest part wasn’t the homework or the tests... It was constantly having to prove that I deserved to be there, that I was worthy and capable of rigorous academic work. Coming to OCSA changed everything. 

I now walk into my classes knowing I won’t have to explain or defend who I am. I’m not just accepted—I’m embraced. The teachers get me and their loving support cheers me on each day. My classmates see me for who I am, not just what I struggle with. This is the only place in my school history where adult educators and peers have all been kind to me. That kind of understanding is rare. OCSA is my redemptive narrative in schooling. That kind of healing is priceless. 

OCSA is the first place where I’ve been completely accepted for who I am. OCSA isn’t just a school—it's a safe place for students like me. A place where we are allowed to be ourselves, where our differences aren’t barriers—they are a part of what makes this community so special. Now OCSA is in danger of being taken away. The threat of my safest space being taken away and interrupted gives kids like me tremendous anxiety and, once again, distracts me from my academic excellence.

OCSA is currently waiting for its appeal to be heard. We need the help of our community to raise awareness and hold SAUSD accountable. By signing this petition, you’re standing with me to protect OCSA’s future and ensure that students continue to receive the education they deserve.  

I stand with OCSA. Please stand with me and kids like me. We are worthy of a caring school like OCSA, a school that shows me every single day that they are congruent with their mission.

Together, we can send a powerful message to SAUSD that OCSA is a community worth protecting. SAUSD needs to do what is best for kids like me and work with OCSA to reach a reasonable settlement.