From their classroom at P.S. 15 in the Brooklyn section of New York City, kindergarten teachers Catherine Lipkin and Sherri Poall work with students of all abilities as part of a pilot program for co-teaching students with intellectual and multiple disabilities in the same space as their neurotypical peers.

The result is an inclusive classroom where neurotypical students learn empathy for kids with different abilities and come to understand and appreciate those differences. For the students with disabilities who would typically be scattered across the school system away from their neurotypical peers, it’s a chance to work and learn together.

While their school is the only one of its kind within the city school system, Lipkin and Poall hope to see the program expand as a model for inclusive education that can benefit all it touches.

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