Special Education
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About Laboure
Since 1965, the state-approved Laboure Special Education Program has helped top_specEd_aboutmentally challenged and learning disabled students from the five boroughs of New York City. Our program has a long-term commitment to teaching academic and vocational skills that help children to become independent adults. Twenty-one teachers and 15 aides attend to the needs of the 120 students in the program. These children attend one of five sites in Brooklyn and Queens, and represent all faiths, races, and socioeconomic groups.

Four to eight students graduate each year from the high school. Many can go on to maintain full-time jobs, do volunteer work, or learn more skills. Barnes and Noble, Baruch College, and Burger King and other fast-food restaurants have employed recent graduates. While in school, students have worked at the Gap, Lerners, and other clothing stores.

Our Objectives
With integrated exercises, individual attention, and hands-on activities, the teachers in the program strive to fulfill these concrete objectives:

GIVE each child a sense of self-worth and dignity.

INCREASE their social awareness and understanding.

STIMULATE moral and intellectual growth.

ENHANCE their quality of life by helping them with survival skills so that they may thrive independently and become more self-sustaining.

PROMOTE and ENCOURAGE self-help and equality of opportunity in the work force.

TRAIN young adults to handle the school-to-work transition by developing strong sequential work/education experiences for each student.

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Why Laboure?
St. Catherine Laboure lived from 1806-1876 in France. She was a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Much like the children in our program, Catherine was continually "challenged" throughout her life. Because her mother died when she was a young child, Catherine had to take on the responsibilities of running the household. She was the only member of her family who did not attend school and therefore could not learn to read or write.

After being turned away three times from the convent, she was finally accepted at the age of twenty-four. Shortly after, Catherine became the special sister who began receiving the visions of the Blessed Mother. Based on her visions, the Miraculous Medal was struck and is now worn by millions of Catholics around the world and provides them with spiritual peace and faith.

Although she could have alerted the world to her visions she decided to continue to live a very humble life of serving God. She was canonized in 1947.