Ecuadorians with disabilities take the stage

[NewsCaster]

Dolores Ochoa / APActresses wait for their turn to walk on stage during a performance of "Suenos," or "Dreams," at the Casa de la Cultura theater in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 21, 2012.Dolores Ochoa / APActress Marisol Nunez, left, who is blind, is led to stage ahead of her performance.Associated Press reports — Not long ago, most of the 80 young cast members of one of Ecuador's most successful musicals were barely seen or heard.

They are blind, autistic, have Down syndrome or other disabilities. But on stage, the actors, singers and dancers of "Suenos," or "Dreams," easily transcend their limitations.

"What I like about this project is that it dignifies the disabled. Above all, the intellectually challenged, who have faced a lot of prejudice," said Marisol Nunez, a young blind woman whose acting and singing has captivated crowds.

Nunez lost her eyesight as a child to a congenital disease and is among the most experienced actors and singers in the cast.

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