Graduation brings about all kinds of emotions for parents and kids, but for some families with special-needs children the event carries a meaning all of its own.

Heading to kindergarten is a milestone, but for 5-year-old Maurico Coello, who was born with spina bifida, it's an achievement beyond words. "We never expected that he would walk," says Maurico's mother Alexandra.

But Monday, Maurico and his fellow graduates walked to "Pomp and Circumstance" at the John A. Coleman School in White Plains.

The school for children with special needs has been a rock for many families through the years. "The encouragement, the joy, the courage they've taught us as adults, is far beyond what I could say in words," says parent Maria Morris.