Fort Lauderdale designer, DJ and entrepreneur celebrates What Disability?
By Henrietta Davis
For Edward L. Parks Jr., professionally known as EPiK, creativity has long been a way to connect with people. Through music, graphic design and memorial programs, he has helped others celebrate milestones, honor loved ones and tell their stories. Now, the Fort Lauderdale entrepreneur is sharing his own in What Disability? An EPiK Story. Book Signing: Meet the Author.
Parks lives with arthrogryposis and uses a wheelchair, but his story reaches far beyond a diagnosis. Creating professional designs and performing as a DJ using one finger, he has developed his own ways of working, expressing himself and building a career. His message is not that challenges do not exist. It is that other people’s assumptions should not decide what his life can become.
A graduate of Dillard High School, Parks continued his education at Full Sail University, earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. He founded EPiK Productions LLC, bringing together his interests in visual storytelling and music. His work has connected him with businesses, families, musicians and community celebrations, allowing him to build a career centered on creativity and service.
Behind that career is a deeply personal journey. In 2011, while Parks was still a teenager, his father suffered a stroke and his mother passed away. Navigating grief and growing responsibilities became part of his path into adulthood. His mother’s influence remains central to his story: her belief in his abilities and expectations of excellence continue to shape how he approaches his work and his life.
Faith is another foundation of his identity. The name EPiK also stands for “Edward Parks Is King,” reflecting his belief that being a child of God gives him purpose, worth and a calling. For Parks, the name is both a creative brand and a reminder to approach what he does with intention and excellence.
In his memoir, Parks brings these experiences together through personal storytelling and a guiding analogy: life can work like a GPS. When one road closes, the destination does not have to disappear. Sometimes, the next step is to find another route. His refrain—“Reroute. Reroute. Reroute.”—captures an outlook shaped by loss, adaptation and persistence. He hopes readers will find encouragement to keep creating, challenge limiting assumptions and recognize possibilities in their own lives.
Sistrunk Historical Organization, Inc. invites the community to celebrate What Disability? An EPiK Story at a book signing on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Smitty’s Wings Sistrunk, 1134 NW 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311. Guests can meet Parks, have their books signed and take photos. The celebration will also feature a live closing set by DJ EPiK, bringing his love of music into this new chapter of his story.