"She's beautiful, she's smart, [and] she always lights up the room," gushes Peter Maxmean. He's every bit the blushing groom, waxing poetic about his to-be wife, Lori Sousa, before their wedding day.
Except this isn’t your typical love story, because the couple happens to have intellectual disabilities. And in a world with few support systems available to them? Their wedding plans just got a lot more complicated.
Maxmean and Sousa met at a workshop in North Providence. As the two have intellectual disabilities, they were forced to take repetitive jobs for very little pay. Their jobs with the workshop were eventually shut down due to poor conditions and even poorer compensation, which left them both grappling with bills.
When you have a disability, it’s even harder to find a new job after you lost your old one. But that didn't deter Maxmean or Sousa in the slightest.
There are so many touching stories out there about people proving just how little disabilities truly divide us. Remember the man who adopted blind triplets? Even Dolly Parton is promoting accessibility with the first-ever "Calming Room" installed at Dollywood!
Despite everything standing in their way, this heartfelt video shows just how transformative love can be when you find your true soul mate.
"He loves me for me," says Sousa, and just like her fiancé, there are stars in her eyes when she talks about him. "When I'm down and sad, he's there for me."
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Love and Independence in East Providence from The New York Times – Video on Vimeo.
