Josiah Quincy Elementary School is a shining example of our elementary Best Buddies programming and proves that you are never too young to learn about inclusion and disability justice.

JQES is a public elementary school in the Chinatown neighborhood of Boston. They joined Best Buddies in 2022 and have seen incredible success across all of the participating students and throughout their school community.
Students with and without disabilities meet bi-weekly to play games, do art projects, and read books all about how to be a good friend and how to be the best includers they can be.

Best Buddies sessions at JQES have included ways to be a good friend, an introduction to AAC devices, how to respect people’s “body bubbles” including their mobility aids, an introduction to autism and ways to befriend autistic peers, how to respectfully ask questions about people different than ourselves, some history of the disability rights movement, and the importance of inclusion: where everyone is together, and no one is left out.

Students as young as first grade in JQES Best Buddies can express their thoughts and feelings about disability justice and emphasize their passion for supporting their friends, however they want to be supported.

Carrie Decarlo, Teacher of Multiple Disabilities at JQES writes:

“At JQES we joined Best Buddies in 2022 and it has been amazing. My students enjoy spending time with other classes in such an inclusive environment. One student, Maliyah, has been greatly affected by these sessions. When she began, she was a fourth grader who enjoyed the company of adults and mostly shied away from students her own age. Because she has difficulty speaking, most students avoided having any interaction with her. That changed because of her time with Best Buddies. Many of the other students began talking and interacting with her, to the point where they would spend their lunch time together. She began asking for the students to come to her classroom and asked to visit theirs. This year, Maliyah has become much more social with children her own age, so much so that she has joined the JQES Student Council and engages with the students at the meetings. This dramatic change is directly correlated to the Best Buddies program.”
Maliyah and her buddy, Leia, enjoy doing arts and crafts together and talking about their favorite TV characters. When it’s time for Best Buddies, Leia always hurries to clean off her desk and pull up another chair so the two of them can sit next to one another.

JQES Best Buddies reminds us that you are never to young to learn about inclusion and disability justice, but most importantly, never too young to make a new friend.