Handicap This! is an organization that has one major goal in mind. As the organization says, they want to make "minds Handicap accessible." Ever since 2010, the group has traveled the nation working on achieving this goal and they are now promoting a digital classroom experience and hope to teach people a little more about accessibility, acceptance, and inclusion.
Sharing the Handicap This! story
There was an amazing story by Tim Wambach, who put on a show in a school full of middle school and high school students. After the show with Mike Berkson, a teacher contacted him and let him know something special happened at the show.
Before the show started, there were some kids bulling a few disabled students. However, the teacher said that after the show, the bullies approached the disabled students and apologized for their actions.
It is moments like this that the Handicap This! organization and shows pride themselves on when it comes to making a change towards inclusion and acceptance of others. Tim pointed out that Mike is in a wheelchair and is unable to use his arms and legs but he has so much talent and intelligence that it really shows kids how you can't judge a book by its cover.
Mike and Tim: Handicap This!
Tim Wambach finished college in 2001 and was looking for a job. What he found was a purpose in life. A young lady with cerebral palsy hired him to aide her and he did so until the end of that school year.
According to Tim, the young woman had gone through four or five aides but he took it upon himself to make sure she had fun while finishing the school year. That is when he learned about Mike Berkson, a sixth grader at the time with cerebral palsy.
The two met, and hit it off. They have a friendship now that will last a lifetime and together they started Handicap This!
It takes one person to stop bullying
When Tim and Mike started Handicap This!, they set it up as a stage show where they shared their experiences together as friends and associates with kids in schools, as well as private organizations and clubs. The two decided to use their friendship to poke fun at each other and themselves and allow their personalities to shine through.
By doing that, kids can see them as relatable people and understand that they are not different, accepting them as equals.
The goal is to show that, even without the use of his arms and legs, Mike is a real person with a great personality and intelligence. The two perform up to 20 to 30 shows a year in colleges, high schools and middle schools. They also put on motivational shows for businesses.
The Handicap This! Digital Classroom Experience
However, putting on 20 to 30 shows a year does not reach every corner of the country where bullying exists. Wanting to further spread the message of accessibility, acceptance, and inclusion, the Handicap This! program has developed a new digital classroom experience.
This is a taped version of the Handicap This! show with Mike and Tim that schools can use to show to their classrooms in high schools and middle schools as well as to use in school-wide assemblies. The version for high schools runs $997 and the one for middle schools costs $597 and the money goes to the Keep on Keeping On non-profit organization.
This purchase helps supply hospital beds for those in need, supplies physical therapy for those without the financial means, pay off hospital bills, buy wheelchairs, widen doors in homes, add elevators where needed, purchase service dogs, and more. Plus, it helps spread the message of accessibility, acceptance, and inclusion to kids to help build a better tomorrow.
Check out the Handicap This! video below to learn more.
