According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), about thirteen percent of all public school students have learning disabilities. For these students, having a learning disability can make school and social life a lot tougher.

Enter Nick White ‘17. White is in Period 6 Senior Quest during the 2016-17 school year. When asked to describe his vision for the project, White said, “I want to build a website and a way for students without disabilities to learn that students with disabilities aren’t that different.” This year, White plans to educate his peers about learning disabilities to help show HBHS, and many other schools, that although some students may have learning difficulties, they’re still the same as the rest of us.

White’s main idea is to create a documentary; he’s planning to interview different students with and without disabilities to see how much they know about each other. He also plans to incorporate unified sports, a very successful group that has encouraged students to interact with each other.

White’s motivation for this project can be found here at Hollis Brookline: his name is Aidan Keehan. Keehan has a learning disability, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a powerful role model and a supportive friend.

“He’s taught me a lot in the past few years,” White said. “He’s helped me through some hard times in my life.”

So far, White has been very happy with Senior Quest, saying that it’s a “great way for students to express their individuality.” He does believe that the project will have a positive impact on students’ view of learning disabilities. White also thinks this experience could help him later in life when he tries to become an entrepreneur. He has thought about possibly opening his own unified gym, although at the moment it’s just an idea.