Three 10-year-old students Dominic May, who has Down syndrome, and Jay Hurt and Korde Solomon, who both have disabilities were invited by their special education teacher to attend her wedding and play an important role.
Colleen Powell, a teacher at Lakeview Academy in Milledgeville wanted three of her favorite students to walk her down the aisle in her wedding.
“Especially just having five or six kids, they become your own,” the 25-year-old education explained to WMAZ. “Since I don’t have any kids of my own, I call these three my babies.”
“I’d always said my boys are going to be in my wedding because they’re just the biggest piece of my heart,” she added to Today. “They mean as much to me as anyone else that was there.”
Powell walked down the aisle with her father and Jay and Korde served as rings bearers. Korde helped Jay to push in his wheelchair as the latter one has cerebral palsy.
“They’re just the biggest piece of my heart,” Powell told WMAZ. “They mean as much to me as my bridesmaids did, and as much as my husband’s groomsmen.”
The boys have difficulty in speaking so Jay carried a device with a pre-recorded message that declared, “Here comes the bride,” when he pressed a button. When the wedding officiant asked, “Who gives away the bride?” Dominic played a message that said, “Her parents and I do.”
“They can all communicate their wants or needs or their feelings,” Powell told Today of the way she communicates with them in class.
Jay’s mother Camellia Hurt said: “Originally, I thought she just kind of said it to be kind because I was in the classroom while she talked about planning the wedding. She was serious.”
“At first I was on pins and needles but thank God nothing happened,” she said. “He was really involved in the wedding and this was so beautiful.”
Shiquana Solomon who is Korde’s mother told Today: “Korde danced going down the aisle, he had to bust out a little dance move. They started clapping,” she recalled. “I was happy. I was crying.”
“They will always remember that,” Dominic’s mom, Ingried Banks, told WMAZ. “And I will, I know the other parents will always love them for that.”
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