By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
This may not be the first time Lincroft resident Katie Cartier has been onscreen – if you count the flash mob dances, cheerleading segments or swim meet videos that featured her wicked butterfly stroke. But those were mostly limited to family iPhone videos and FaceBook posts.
On Saturday, Katie and her boyfriend Conor Wright’s photo will grace the big screen on Broadway in New York City as part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s (NDSS) annual Times Square Video presentation.
“I’ve got a great smile,” Katie said proudly, as to why she thinks organizers chose her and Conor’s photo –out of 2,000 entries – to be part of the video presentation.
The featured photographs – more than 400 – highlight children, teens, and adults with Down syndrome as part of a celebration to promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome, which is the mission of NDSS.
Katie and Conor, who happen to have Down syndrome, have known each other for years and celebrated their one anniversary as a couple in June. Katie, 17, is a senior at Middletown South High School where she is on the swim team, as well as the NJ Special Olympics Hazlet Torpedoes.
Conor, 25, graduated from Holmdel High School. He works at a car wash, enjoys dance, karate, bowling and playing football.
The Times Square Video presentation kicks off Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. The video presentation will be followed by the 22nd Annual Flagship Buddy Walk in New York City. This year, Buddy Walk events will be held in more than 275 cities across the country, as well as select international locations, in and around October with more than 325,000 people participating around the globe.
Stephanie Cartier, Katie’s mother, submitted the photo taken in May at Katie’s junior prom. “To me, it shows that people with intellectual disabilities are just like everyone else,” she said. “Katie and Conor went to the prom just as a gazillion other people do. The Times Square video lets everyone see that people with intellectual disabilities have the same experiences as everyone else. And as a mom, it’s really cool when your child’s picture gets picked to show that!”
Cartier and family will be front and center at Time Square with Conor and his mother Joyce on Saturday for the screening.
For information about the NDSS National Buddy Walk Program, visit www.buddywalk.org.
