One of the world’s most popular up and coming superstars, Khalid, once said, “So lets do all stupid shit that young kids do”. In one of his hit songs 8TEEN, Khalid talks about how although there are many things that are going bad in his life and all the struggles he faced as a teenager, the memories that you create and experiences you share with your friends will always be a great release from all of the negative things going on in your life. What better place to make memories and relieve all the stress that comes with being a teenager than prom? As if the average teenager didn’t have enough problems, imagine how much worse it would be if the things you do on a daily basis—eat, use the restroom, change clothes—became a struggle. Kids with special needs go through this everyday along with the other stresses of a teenager. Although some people have certain needs and limitations, that should not prevent them from making memories that can last a lifetime.

Kids with disabilities are often left out of common teenage activities, but they should still have the chance to experience the biggest night of their high school careers. Starting at a young age, kids with special needs are often excluded from daily activities. In a study done by the national deaf blind charity a majority of parents to disabled kids feel like their children are being left out of things that their peers are included in.  Being disabled already puts you at a disadvantage because you have to work that much harder just to complete simple tasks, but adding onto that, people are not getting the same opportunities that others are getting if you have a disability.

Prom is one of the, if not, biggest nights of a person’s high school career. All throughout your lower class career you have dreamed about prom and how everything is going to work out just how you want it to. It’s a time to take a break from school and just have fun. Many Americans would call prom a “rite of passage”. Others may refer to it as an “unchanging ritual”. Prom night provides a time for young adults to let go and have a good time with their friends, and who are we to exclude certain people from enjoying life? Because some kids with special needs go to a different school specialized in aiding them, the schools often don’t provide nights like these.

Not only would a prom specialized for kids with special needs help those participating, it can also help the average teenager. An entire prom is not easy to throw and can’t be done by a single person. However, there are always high school students looking to volunteer for service hours to beef up their college apps. Although it is not a requirement for college, almost every college applicant has done community service and wrote in on their college applications to make them a more appealing applicant.

Not only will the students get service hours for helping, they can engage with the participants and improve their people skills, while the special needs students get to talk and have conversations with new people.

With all the benefits that a prom brings to people, why not help out the kids going through the most in there lives right now? They should be able to take a break from the stress of school and should feel special even if it’s only for a single night. To include and make memories, I propose that we throw Willenberg, a school with special needs students, a prom.