On April 25th this year, Old Saybrook High School joined Valley High School at their Unified Prom. OSHS’s participation has been primarily pioneered by Maddie Gutzmer, a junior at OSHS. Maddie shares,”We wanted to do this because prom is late [in the school year], and there’s a couple students in our school who aren’t able to make that time, because of either their disability or whatever it may be.”
For many students, the prom is seen as an important and essential high school event. Dressing up, getting ready with friends, and dancing may seem like a right of passage, but for students with disabilities, it may be difficult for them to enjoy or participate in traditional prom activities. Maddie explains,”When you get a diagnosis of a medically complex disability, as a parent, you think my kid isn’t gonna be able to do these things, so I wanted to make sure that they would be able to get the typical high school experience.” Grace Desmond, a senior at OSHS and volunteer at the prom, agrees with the importance of the prom, saying, “I think it’s important because the kids at Unified get to meet people from other schools that they get along with and relate to.” Along with going to the dance, two students with medically complex disabilities will participate in a pamper day. “Hopefully this will give them a better opportunity to have your classic prom, get ready experience,” Maddie explains.
Another goal of Maddie’s was to integrate neurotypical students into the program to bring awareness to the unified programs and foster engagement between students. She elaborates, “Allowing and finding people from our school to go was another large part of my capstone.” Ethan Terribile, a junior at OSHS was one of many volunteers at the prom. He comments, “At a normal school prom they [kids in Unified] may feel excluded or uncomfortable, so it’s an opportunity to be themselves and feel included.”
