Brooklyn to Bring Sensory Rooms to Every District 75 Elementary School

$9.25M investment will expand services for students with special needs

Apr. 15, 2026 at 1:04am

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An extremely abstracted, out-of-focus photograph in warm, hazy tones showing children playing and exploring in a sensory room, with colorful shapes and textures blending together in a dreamlike, impressionistic style.A new $9.25 million investment will bring calming, engaging sensory rooms to every District 75 elementary school in Brooklyn, empowering students with special needs.Brooklyn Today

Brooklyn officials announced a $9.25 million initiative to build sensory rooms in every District 75 elementary school, which serve students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The rooms are designed to help students self-regulate, focus, and feel safe, with features like swings, crafting areas, and calming visual elements.

Why it matters

This effort marks the first time a borough in New York City will fully implement sensory rooms across all of its District 75 elementary schools, providing much-needed resources and individualized support for students with special needs.

The details

The sensory rooms will be installed in 37 District 75 school buildings, with 18 ready to begin construction immediately. The rooms are meant to give students a space to calm down, focus, and self-regulate through engaging activities and sensory experiences like swinging, playing with bubbles, and creating art.

  • The $9.25 million investment was announced on April 15, 2026.
  • The initiative is launching during Autism Awareness Month.

The players

Danny Baird

A parent whose daughter has autism and will benefit from the new sensory rooms.

Joseph Mendez

A paraprofessional in District 75 who explained how the sensory rooms help students self-regulate and focus.

Antonio Reynoso

The Brooklyn Borough President who signed a ceremonial check for the $9.25 million investment and cited his own son with autism as inspiration for the initiative.

Hannah Kliger

A Brooklyn reporter who covered the announcement of the sensory room initiative.

P396K

The District 75 elementary school in Brownsville, Brooklyn where the announcement event took place.

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What they’re saying

“Hundreds of kids, thousands of kids will be able to benefit, and they will get the space that they need and they will get the resources that they need.”

— Danny Baird, Parent

“This helps them to really just self-regulate and put them in a zone where they are able to calm down, focus, bring themselves back.”

— Joseph Mendez, Paraprofessional in District 75

“He's stimulated through his sense of sight as well. And these are all things you can provide in a sensory room that a lot of schools don't have. So I want my son exposed that and the school he has currently doesn't have that.”

— Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President

What’s next

The 18 District 75 school buildings that are ready will begin construction on the new sensory rooms immediately, with the goal of having all 37 buildings outfitted by the end of the 2026-2027 school year.

The takeaway

This historic investment in sensory rooms across all District 75 elementary schools in Brooklyn represents a major step forward in providing specialized, individualized support for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By creating calming, engaging spaces designed to help students self-regulate, the initiative aims to empower these students and give them the resources they need to thrive.