NYPD brought dozens of hearing and visually impaired teens to NYE ball drop in Times Square

The NYPD Brings Visually and Hearing Impaired Teens to Times Square for New Years Eve Ball Drop

The NYPD organized a special event for dozens of hearing and visually impaired teens to experience the New Years Eve ball drop in Times Square, allowing them to “live out their dream,” according to police officials and participants.

About 50 young people, mostly in their teens and early 20s, were given the opportunity to witness the thrilling festivities during the department’s fourth annual Disability Engagement Event just after midnight on Thursday.

David Patrick Perez, a 22-year-old who is deaf, expressed the significance of the event for the deaf community, stating, “It allows us to be a part of something… it gives us something to look forward to.” The program participants, ranging in age from 8 to 22 years old, are from all five boroughs and are affiliated with the Lexington School for the Deaf or St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf. Many of them come from low-income families.

Assistant Commissioner of Community Affairs Alden Foster highlighted the impact of the event, mentioning that it provides an opportunity for young individuals who are about to lose their vision to fulfill a dream by witnessing the ball drop up-close. He emphasized the importance of creating such opportunities for kids from low-income communities across the city.

In addition to the New Years Eve ball drop, the program also takes hearing and visually impaired kids and teens to events like the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting.

Foster shared a heartwarming moment when a parent expressed gratitude for the experience, saying, “My kid’s been deaf all his life, and this is just an experience of a lifetime.” He credited Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch for her support in making the program successful.