DisAbility Project

Rossman School Performance

Thank you for the wonderful performance today! The children were captivated by your creative and entertaining expressions of very important topics. Please tell all of the performers that it touched the lives of students, teachers and parents.
Thanks again,
Amy Abramson

About "Hello"

There is no way we can truly express what the work of you and your talented people means to Provident's Life Crisis Services. Your interpretation of our everyday work was magnificent and helps people to understand the importance of the hotline responders.

Jim Rice
Dan Friedman

The disability skits really meant a lot to me. I learned that people that are disabled have advantages too. I also learned that a lot of times you want to help people instead of them helping you. People who have a disability live a normal life, except that they have a disability.

My brother said, “I think it would be cool to have a disability.” My mom disagreed, she said, “Maybe for one day, but if you had to do it your whole life you wouldn’t be able to (do) a lot of the things you would want to do.” While listening to this conversation I realized with everything you lose something replaces it.

The performance by the company of The DisAbility Project was one of the most movingly effective programs we have offered to our staff here at the NBA as part of our intentional diversity programs. We received nothing but positive evaluations of the presentation from our executives and staff. Our goal to help staff become more understanding and appreciative of the life issues we share in common with persons who are differently abled was greatly realized through the thought provoking experience of your work. We were challenged, we learned and were blessed.

We are already anticipating the return of our new friends from The DisAbility Project during National Disability Employment Awareness Month next year. Please put us on your schedule.

Dear Joan,

I hope this letter serves as a demonstration of community support for your artistic and healing efforts in St. Louis that include, at least, three endeavors: staging your original plays at St. Marcus, co-producing Women CenterStage at COCA, and creating the DisAbility Project. I have been an audience for all three, but what I, on behalf of Christ Church Cathedral, would like to thank you for in particular in this letter is the DisAbility Project that performed at our church in early June.

Last spring you invited me to a DisAbility performance at the Washington University Occupational Therapy Building on Forest Park. I was moved by the self-empowering work that your abled and disabled actors developed and performed. This work captures the best of theater.

Theater has the power to entertain. It can help us remember, and it can help us escape, but, most importantly, theater has the potential to heal, change, and build community. In your performance, the audience is engaged in the present that is a shared moment. Your work offers the audience a way out of stereotyping, preconceived notions, and fearful responses. Because of this, I suggested to the Cathedral that we invite you and the Project to present your work.

I wanted to share the experience of your collaborative work with the people with whom I worship and grow. We witnessed and participated in your performance together with the members of the St. Thomas Church of the Deaf congregation, a group that shares our space on Sundays. Your work helped to instill a new sensitivity in us for each other.

As the Cathedral sets out to rehab the adjoining Bishop Tuttle Memorial Building and return it to its original purpose as an inner city community center, the members of your troupe helped raise our awareness about our limitations as an accessible and welcoming space.

I have a dear friend disabled by seizures, a result of brain injury. He has recently returned to St. Louis for better care. Leaving his relative independence, he was feeling depressed and alienated. You invited him to a Saturday rehearsal, and your welcome into community has changed him.

Your work changes lives. You [and Karen Werner] are gifted directors and group leaders. You’ve got strength, vision, kindness, and perhaps most importantly, great senses of humor.

You, Joan, are one of the local artists doing ground-breaking work not only for our community but also for our art. Thank you.

When The DisAbility Project performed for the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, the students responded with art. Click here to see some examples.

"Every day these people were scoffed at, frowned upon, and ignored so that we could go on with our every-day lives, oblivious and uncaring, and yet, here they were, giving up their time to teach us something."

Click here to read the complete text of Izzie Baldwin's MOFAA Testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, January 18, 2006.

ACCESS Office St. Louis Community College-Meramec
I want to thank you and that UPPITY theatre Company for the wonderful performance you did for us during our ACCESS Award's Ceremony. The presentation was extremely informative and provided an educational experience for all in an enjoyable, entertaining way.

The feedback that we received from students, faculty, staff, and members of the community was very positive. Everyone walked away from, 'the experience' with a better appreciation of daily events that may occur in a person with disabilities life.

Thank you,
- Linda Nissenbaum, M. A. -
Manager, ACCESS Office, disAbility Support Services

The group’s theatrical presentation was perfect. Your personal participation was superb; the talent and human interest in the audience was magnificent. It was obvious to all attendees that you knew your subject and that you truly cared about your audience and the subject. In fact, I continue to receive compliments on the CEID program.

I applaud your personal insight and professional assistance with this Federal Executive Board Program.

Many thanks to you, Stuart, Katie, Nick and the DisAbility Project for the wonderful performance you gave at our Human Rights in the New Millennium Conference on December 7, 2000. Without exception, the attendees have said it was the highlight of the day! They loved the injection of humor into the pieces and appreciated being able to get the point, without feeling bad or guilty. Obviously, from the comments and questions, the audience was deeply moved.

Good theatre evokes emotional responses, opens dialogue and discussion, and allows the audience to experience the lives of the characters. Your performance was very definitely “good”. I hope we can continue this learning experience at future Missouri Commission on Human Rights events.