Sometimes, the most meaningful learning experiences start with an idea that looks a little different from a typical classroom lesson. A new sensory tool, a calming space, or an activity that brings parents and children together can open doors to connection, engagement, and discovery for students with disabilities.
Through the Special Education Foundation’s Classroom Innovation Grants program, educators can turn these creative ideas into experiences that make a difference in students’ everyday lives. Grants have supported sensory equipment that helps students engage with their surroundings, designated spaces where students can regulate their emotions and regroup, and parent-child activities that encourage connection beyond the classroom.
Recent Innovative Projects
Ellie White | Ladue Early Childhood Center (LECC)
Through the READ Program, Ellie White is helping families of deaf and hard-of-hearing preschoolers build early literacy skills at home and school. A Classroom Innovation Grant funded multiple copies of books for five weekly themes, allowing families to read together at home. At the same time, teachers and speech-language pathologists reinforce the same vocabulary and language in the classroom. The program directly benefits 12 students, with potential to reach many more families in future years.
White shared, “The students seem more engaged, more excited, and more able to understand and use the vocabulary and language included in these books.”
Lori Guess | Northview School
Lori Guess used a Classroom Innovation Grant to create inclusive, schoolwide holiday dances and activities for 150 students ages 14–21 with a range of disabilities. Funding supported festive decorations, photo backdrops, and themed activities for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, giving students with different sensory and support needs opportunities to participate. Students help create decorations, choose music, socialize with peers, and practice communication and social skills in a fun, age-appropriate setting.
Guess shared, “Most of all, it's the smiling faces and seeing students of all abilities out on the dance floor enjoying themselves with their peers and staff.”
Innovation also means creating opportunities for families to participate together. From special events designed to include the whole family to activities that strengthen home-school relationships, these projects recognize that students benefit when the people who support them can learn, connect, and celebrate together.
Every student has unique interests, strengths, and needs. Classroom Innovation Grants give educators the flexibility to think creatively about what will help their students feel supported, participate more fully, and experience new opportunities.
Have an idea that could make a difference for your students?
The Special Education Foundation invites educators to think beyond traditional approaches and imagine what is possible when creativity meets student needs.
Applications for the 2027–2028 Classroom Innovation Grant cycle are open through February 26, 2027. We look forward to seeing the new ideas educators bring to life for students with disabilities!
