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BROOKLYN, NY – Today, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced a $9.25 million capital investment to build dozens of new sensory rooms at District 75 (D75) sites across Brooklyn. This investment will provide funding for every D75 elementary-aged site in Brooklyn, starting with sensory rooms for 18 schools. Schools will have the flexibility to custom-build these spaces, allowing for a tailored learning experience that best supports the needs of their student bodies. D75 schools deliver highly specialized, individualized educational programs for students with significant challenges, such as autism, cognitive delays, sensory impairments, and emotional or multiple disabilities.
The Borough President delivered this announcement along Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti at P396K in Brownsville, where students are already benefitting from sensory rooms. During the announcement, the Borough President joined students to make sensory bottles filled with materials designed to support regulation and participated in a guided sensory obstacle course that helps students regulate, focus, and organize their sensory systems to demonstrate sensory rooms in action.
“As a father to a child with autism, I know just how important sensory rooms are for the students who need them,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Sensory rooms help students regulate, focus, and reset so they can stay engaged in their learning. With this investment we’re setting a new standard, ensuring that every single elementary-aged D75 site in Brooklyn has a sensory room. Because it doesn’t matter what community you live in or how much your family earns, all of our students deserve the resources they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
“Sensory rooms provide critical, safe spaces where students can regulate, refocus and fully engage in learning, setting them up for success in the classroom and beyond. We are deeply grateful for this investment in these spaces,” said Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels. “We know that meeting the needs of every student is essential, and we are committed to ensuring our schools remain truly inclusive and integrated.”
Sensory rooms are specially designed spaces that incorporate soft lighting, calming visuals, interactive tools, and movement-based equipment to help students regulate sensory input. For students with autism and other sensory needs, these environments can reduce stress, improve attention, and support emotional regulation, strengthening their ability to focus and engage in learning. Research shows that access to sensory-friendly environments can help reduce behavioral challenges, increase engagement, and support stronger academic outcomes, particularly for students who benefit from structured sensory support.
By investing in sensory rooms across Brooklyn, the Borough President is expanding access to inclusive, student-centered learning environments that help ensure every student has the resources and space to learn and grow.
“At NYCPS, we are proud that our students bring different ways of thinking, learning, and experiencing the world, and our schools should reflect and celebrate that. Sensory rooms create spaces where students can engage, and show up as their full selves,” said Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti “I’m grateful to Borough President Reynoso for advancing a vision where every District 75 student in Brooklyn has access to environments that honor both the needs and the gifts they bring.”
“Sensory supports aren’t extras; they are essential. They help students manage stress, build independence, and participate more fully in the classroom,” said Superintendent of District 75 Dr. Keisha McCoy.” As a former D75 principal, this moment is especially meaningful to me. I have seen firsthand the difference that access to the right resources can make for our students, families, and entire school communities.”
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