We are seeking funding to equip our self-contained Life Skills middle school classroom with Styrolite chairs and desks designed to meet the sensory, physical, and developmental needs of students with disabilities. The new furniture will create a safer, more accessible, and more engaging learning environment, replacing outdated and inappropriate seating that hinders student focus and comfort. With ergonomic design, rounded edges, and lightweight construction, Styrolite furniture will support individualized instruction and enhance classroom flexibility. This upgrade will positively impact current and future students by fostering a calm, structured, and inclusive space for learning.
This grant would directly impact our current middle school students with significant disabilities, as well as staff and future students who will use the classroom for years to come. Providing appropriate, safe, and sensory-considerate furniture is not a luxury—it is a necessity for the type of instruction and support our students require to thrive. This project represents a simple but deeply impactful way to increase equity and access in special education, ensuring our most vulnerable learners are supported not just academically, but physically and emotionally as well.
Currently, our classroom is outfitted with standard district-issued desks and chairs—many of which are old, mismatched, and not designed with the needs of our student population in mind. These pieces of furniture are often heavy, difficult to rearrange for differentiated instruction or therapeutic sessions, and made from materials that can be overstimulating to students with sensory processing disorders (e.g., cold metal, hard plastics, or noisy joints). Several desks and chairs are worn or broken, creating safety concerns and physical discomfort that directly impact students’ ability to remain seated, focused, and emotionally regulated during instruction. Our students range in age from 11 to 14 years old, with functional abilities equivalent to early elementary levels in many areas. They benefit greatly from predictable, calming environments with consistent physical structure. Currently, seating arrangements must be constantly modified to accommodate various learning and behavioral needs, but the current furniture limits our ability to do so quickly and effectively. Our self-contained Life Skills Classroom serves a population of middle school students with significant cognitive, behavioral, and physical challenges, including students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, Emotional Disturbance, and other exceptionalities. These students require not only individualized instruction but also a highly structured, physically supportive environment that reduces sensory distractions and promotes engagement.
To address the physical, sensory, and instructional needs of our self-contained Life Skills middle school classroom, we propose to replace our current classroom furniture with ergonomically designed, durable, and flexible Styrolite chairs and desks. These furnishings are specifically selected to accommodate the physical and cognitive needs of students with disabilities, providing an immediate and long-term improvement to the classroom environment. The current state of our classroom furniture hinders student focus, comfort, and safety. Students with special needs often have heightened sensory sensitivities and require physical environments that are stable, consistent, and calming. Research shows that students are more likely to engage in learning when they are physically comfortable and emotionally regulated (Barrett et al., 2015). In our classroom, several students are nonverbal or have limited communication and rely heavily on structure and environmental cues to stay focused. Unstable or loud furniture can trigger anxiety or dysregulation, which often results in missed instructional time and increased behavioral interventions. We believe every child deserves a learning environment that supports their unique needs—and this project is one important step toward making that a reality in our school.
This grant would directly impact our current middle school students with significant disabilities, as well as staff and future students who will use the classroom for years to come. Providing appropriate, safe, and sensory-considerate furniture is not a luxury—it is a necessity for the type of instruction and support our students require to thrive. This project represents a simple but deeply impactful way to increase equity and access in special education, ensuring our most vulnerable learners are supported not just academically, but physically and emotionally as well.
Currently, our classroom is outfitted with standard district-issued desks and chairs—many of which are old, mismatched, and not designed with the needs of our student population in mind. These pieces of furniture are often heavy, difficult to rearrange for differentiated instruction or therapeutic sessions, and made from materials that can be overstimulating to students with sensory processing disorders (e.g., cold metal, hard plastics, or noisy joints). Several desks and chairs are worn or broken, creating safety concerns and physical discomfort that directly impact students’ ability to remain seated, focused, and emotionally regulated during instruction. Our students range in age from 11 to 14 years old, with functional abilities equivalent to early elementary levels in many areas. They benefit greatly from predictable, calming environments with consistent physical structure. Currently, seating arrangements must be constantly modified to accommodate various learning and behavioral needs, but the current furniture limits our ability to do so quickly and effectively. Our self-contained Life Skills Classroom serves a population of middle school students with significant cognitive, behavioral, and physical challenges, including students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, Emotional Disturbance, and other exceptionalities. These students require not only individualized instruction but also a highly structured, physically supportive environment that reduces sensory distractions and promotes engagement.
To address the physical, sensory, and instructional needs of our self-contained Life Skills middle school classroom, we propose to replace our current classroom furniture with ergonomically designed, durable, and flexible Styrolite chairs and desks. These furnishings are specifically selected to accommodate the physical and cognitive needs of students with disabilities, providing an immediate and long-term improvement to the classroom environment. The current state of our classroom furniture hinders student focus, comfort, and safety. Students with special needs often have heightened sensory sensitivities and require physical environments that are stable, consistent, and calming. Research shows that students are more likely to engage in learning when they are physically comfortable and emotionally regulated (Barrett et al., 2015). In our classroom, several students are nonverbal or have limited communication and rely heavily on structure and environmental cues to stay focused. Unstable or loud furniture can trigger anxiety or dysregulation, which often results in missed instructional time and increased behavioral interventions. We believe every child deserves a learning environment that supports their unique needs—and this project is one important step toward making that a reality in our school.
Time left to bid
10
days
8
hours
45
minutes
4
seconds
$4,650
Value:
priceless