AGT: Visually Impaired Singer with Autism, Who Was Adopted by Her Teacher, Wins Golden Buzzer

Singer Lavender Darcangelo, 27, was the last audition on Tuesday night's episode, but she was ultimately the one to wow the judges.

"I did not expect this to happen," Lavender told People of her big moment. "Ever since I was a little kid, my biggest dream was to record CDs, to sing in front of huge audiences and inspiring people. When Heidi gave me the Golden Buzzer, it felt like a sort of deja vu, because things like this already happened in my mind when I was four years old."

"I wanted to pinch myself because I thought I was just being 4 years old and lying on the couch again and daydreaming as usual!" she continued. "[My] audition for AGT was all a blur. It was like being numb or being beside myself — but in a good way — like walking on air without moving."

Lavender was joined on stage by her father Wil, who adopted her "later in life" after she was part of his after-school music program. Wil shared with the audience that Lavender is visually impaired and has autism.

"I've been singing since I was three years old, I didn't talk until I was 4 and a half," she shared, adding that she joined the show because she has "a lot of dreams."

"Lavender and I met, she asked me to adopt her and I said, 'Well, I'm a member of a faculty, and that's not just how it works,'" explained Wil about adopting Lavender. "But several years goes by and she's having struggles and before you know it, she moved in with me and my husband Jamie the day we came home from our honeymoon. And so the year later, after that, she became our legal daughter."

Lavender gave her rendition of Out Here on My Own from the 1980 musical Fame, which received a standing ovation from all of the judges, but it was Heidi who was particularly moved by her performance.

"As a child I lived for the movie Fame, so I loved that she was singing 'Out Here On My Own.'," Klum told People. "I immediately felt a connection with Lavender and I knew that I wanted to be her biggest cheerleader in this competition."

"I feel like I just fell in love, This AGT journey is an amazing journey and I would love to be your cheerleader and hold your hand all the way to the finish line," she said on the episode. "What do you say? Let's do this!"

"We were stunned, to be honest. We really hadn’t allowed ourselves to think about what might happen. We knew that people would like her because people always do," Lavender's fathers told People via email. "But AGT has so many really talented people, it’s the biggest stage in the world. We were touched by their full acceptance of her."

"For us, it's a gift of validation for Lavender that she is free to live her most authentic life without judgment," continued the fathers. "It's proof that she can be a musician, but also a homebody, and a person on the Autism spectrum, and someone who’d rather prioritize playing on a swing set over living up to the traditional expectations of the music industry. It means that she might now believe in herself one degree closer to the vast amount of belief we already have in her."

Lavender also spoke about what it was like to get the Golden Buzzer and how that changed her outlook on life.

"When Heidi gave me the Golden Buzzer, I was in shock because a small part of me realized, 'Wait, maybe I deserve this! Even though I'm so weird! My dad Wil had to help me with answering questions from the AGT judges, but maybe that’s okay! And maybe it’s a good idea that I want to create a school that starts off by kids and adults playing until they naturally find an interest! Maybe I’m normal?" she said.

"I am realizing that a lot of people who go on AGT have so many unique stories and it would mean a lot if my ideas helped them," concluded Lavender. "I want people to know that there is not a one-size fits all way of approaching life."