Her Story Educates Others About The Abilities People With Disabilities Have
Corrinne Lockamy has felt the unwanted stares when she uses her motorized scooter or wheelchair.
“People assume a lot because of how someone looks,” said Lockamy, who was born with cerebral palsy. “I try my best as a person to talk to people about disabilities and my story.”
The 42-year-old is doing just that at Miami Dade College as the director of A Comprehensive Center for Exceptional Student Services at Hialeah Campus, a department that supports students with disabilities.
ACCESS ensures they get services such as notetakers, sign language interpreters, adaptive or assistive technology and more. Lockamy also does classroom presentations to share her story.
In addition, two years ago she created the Ability Ally Workshop held monthly throughout the College to increase awareness of the challenges students with disabilities face
“Corrinne is one of the kindest people and [she] will drop everything to help someone,” said Kelly Kennedy, an English professor at Hialeah Campus. “Without individuals like Corrinne in ACCESS, our students with special needs would not have the advocates they so desperately need and deserve.”
Her Early Life
Lockamy weighed two and a half pounds when she was born in 1979. She was the first baby born that small to survive.
When she was 13, her mom, Sharrel, succumbed to cancer.
“I remember it being very traumatic,” Lockamy said. “I wasn’t a happy soul when my mom passed away. She used to take me to therapy and take care of me. My dad was more of the provider of our household so he didn’t cook; he had to learn. I remember wearing pink socks to class because my dad didn’t take the red clothes out of the white laundry or he’d make something to eat that I was allergic to. I’ve learned in some way to find humor and grace even in my saddest moments because being upset isn’t going to do me any good.”
After graduating from Cooper City High School in 1998, Lockamy went to Broward College but dropped out several times.
When she was 22, her father—Ernest—died in his sleep.
Lockamy then moved to New York, but soon realized the city wasn’t for her because the cold weather made her muscles hurt.
In 2002, she moved back to Miami and attended Barry University in Miami Shores where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
By 2008, Lockamy had a master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University in college student affairs and conflict resolution. Since then, she has added a doctorate degree in educational leadership and administration.
A Career At MDC
Lockamy started working at Miami Dade College in 2008 through the AmeriCorps VISTA program as a coordinator in the Center for Community Involvement at Hialeah Campus, later renamed the Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy. Lockamy oversaw academic service-learning projects and worked with professors to create class and campus projects.
Then for almost three years, she was an academic advisor and career placement specialist for STEM students at the campus.
In 2012, Lockamy was hired as the iCED director at the Eduardo J. Padrón and Hialeah campuses. She was responsible for the college’s year-round voter registration drive and piloted a project with Motivote to get students engaged in political and social activities.
“It’s important to distinguish between one’s title and the work one does,” said Michelle Ploetz, dean of faculty at Hialeah Campus. “Corrinne empowers students, disabled and not, in many ways. She helps students with disabilities participate in college, but she also educates students about what it means to be a full participant in society, whether by voting, doing service-learning, or becoming civic-minded.”
Lockamy has served as director of ACCESS at Hialeah Campus since January of 2020.
“Having a disability is a crazy challenge,” Lockamy said. “[but] it’s the way my life is and I’ve learned to figure out how to live with it.”
