Lissette Cruz lives with her family in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a neighborhood where residents struggle to access special services and therapy for children who need them. Her mother, Claudia Cruz, has been fighting to secure more support for her daughter and for other children.

I first met them in 2018, when I was a graduate student reporting on the challenges faced by Latino mothers raising children with special needs in New York City. The story became my capstone project: "How NYC Is Failing Students With Special Needs—and Why Minority Kids Have It the Worst."

Lissette was five years old at the time. I began bringing my camera with me every time I visited. I documented her daily life—her growth, joys, and struggles as a Hispanic child with Down syndrome navigating New York City’s public special-education system. Too often, minority children with disabilities are marginalized and hidden from view. I believed that by following one little girl’s story, I could help challenge that mindset and raise awareness about their realities.

She showed me that children with special needs are like any other kids. She loves dolls, cartoons, and ice cream. At bath time, she enjoys playing in the water, though she’s always afraid soap will get in her eyes.

But there are differences. Everyday activities—spending time at the playground, taking the bus to school—can be challenging and exhausting for her. I’d see her practicing dance moves with her dad, euphoric as she followed his steps, and then later standing alone on the dance floor, confused by her teacher’s instructions. It was clear: special therapies and consistent support could make a huge difference for her motor skills, her social development, and her overall well-being.

Update: This photo essay was selected for the New York Stories exhibit at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY in 2024. It was likely the biggest milestone for this project: it gave Lissette and her family a rare chance to feel seen, accepted, and that they truly belong. That has always been the heart of this work (Take a look at their reaction!).