Prom held for people with disabilities held on Long Island
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. - A prom in East Meadow was a dream come true for the participants - 150 people with developmental disabilities.
The party was planned and thrown by EPIC Long Island - Extraordinary People In Care. The nonprofit's day programs and group home serve people with developmental disabilities.
The decor, created by their caregivers, offered up a night in Paris. Photographers captured their smiles. They strutted their stuff on a red carpet to the beat of a DJ.
"It's prom season ,and everyone deserves a prom, and if even if we didn't get to our prom, we've got a prom now," planner Yolanda Smith said.
"It means the world to us"
"I was so excited. It's my first prom. I was like, OMG, I feel like I'm in Moulin Rouge right now, my favorite movie," attendee Jamie Segermester said.
Not every attendee is verbal, but no words were needed to read the room. They were grooving to the beat, with their hands in the air and joy in their hearts.
"What you're seeing is people having fun - something a lot of us take for granted," EPIC CEO Lisa Burch said.
"It means the world to us, because they are not typical," parents Ray and Joan Dengate said. "It normalizes things for her, get her to interact with people her own age."
At the end of the evening, there was a toast to celebrate inclusion. There was no promo queen or king named, since it was the royal treatment for everyone.