By Timothy Lee

A student in the Intensive Education Program plays a drum with encouragement from Laurie Harris, LPN.

Botelle School is home to the Intensive Education Program, or IEP, that serves the educational needs of severely disabled students who range in age from six to 16 and present a variety of challenges in the areas of mobility, communication and self-care. They are typically in wheelchairs and require adult support in the form of specialized teaching, nursing, and transport.
Botelle currently serves three IEP students from Winsted and Region 7. According to IEP teacher Rob Atkinson, the program benefits both the students with special needs and the school’s “mainstream” population. “The program is great for our kids because they can be in a small, caring and stimulating environment,” says Atkinson. “Botelle students gain exposure to severely disabled people that otherwise they might not have.”
The lessons of accepting differences are not lost on Botelle students, many of whom volunteer to read to IEP students during their recess time. The program at Botelle is operated by Shared Services, a regional agency that provides special education services to local school districts.