St. Louis Jewish Light

Welcome to My World
by Cathy Cohn

More than 300 parents and children at United Hebrew Congregation were recently given an unusual glimpse into life with a disability with some help from a Crown Grant and That Uppity Theatre Company.

In conjunction with the company’s DisAbility Project, the religious Sunday School’s kindergarten through confirmation students, located at Woods Mill and Conway, and their parents were treated to a performance by the award winning troupe of twelve. Teachers in the School had previously taken a training from the company’s Artistic Director Joan Lipkin, so that on day of program they could have a discussion with the parents and children, said Cheryl Whatley, Director of Education at the United Hebrew Congregation. The play focused on everyday situations that occur in the lives of those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury, blindness, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Bi-polar disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Juvenile Arthritis, Aids, stroke, asthma, epilepsy, amputation, depression, and more.

Funds from the Crown Grant were put towards funding a performance consisting of several skits by an ensemble of adults with and without disabilities to accent awareness of those with disabilities in a humorous but effective manner.

"We try very hard to get across that it’s hard to be disabled in this society, but that everyone is basically the same otherwise," said Lipkin. "We try very hard to do it in a way that isn’t condescending or guilt inducing. Much of our work is based on humor and we tailor our productions according to what each venue asks for."

Most of the time, she said, our society doesn’t even think about the different ways we speak of those with disabilities or how unintentionally demeaning it might be for someone. We might say, "oh, that’s a lame excuse" without realizing it, or plan to meet someone at a restaurant or theatre without stopping to think if it is accessible to a wheelchair. Curiosity about someone’s disability is normal; we just don’t always know how to address it without seeming awkward or rude. The DisAbility group seeks to educate people on these topics, because it’s halachically correct, or mandated by Torah, to be the right thing to do. As Fran Cohen, an occupational therapist who taught at Washington University and now consults with the group, said, "We are expected to treat all with respect because there’s a spark of G-d in all of us."

The skits the group did covered the diverse areas of challenges people with disabilities face daily in terms of jobs, body image, parking accessibility, questions from strangers, and preconceived notions.

Afterwards, the audience was given a chance to ask questions of the troupe and give feedback as well. Most people, according to an informal survey by Lipkin, know or have someone in their family or close circle of friends who have been touched directly by some form of disability such as a stroke or depression. However, they still may not be aware of their needs, the different kinds of disabilities, or disability etiquette. The hour and a quarter long performance was presented with humor, facts, and an "in your face" attitude versus anything guilt-inducing that would impede a desire to learn, therefore fostering a climate conducive for children, teenagers, and adults alike to learn. The audience wanted to know when to help or not help someone in a wheelchair; when to pet a seeing eye dog, and how to make a shul more accessible for those with disabilities.

Daniel Cohen, 11, a Hebrew student at the congregation, said he enjoyed the performance and learned from it as well. He said he was particularly responsive to the issues at hand since he has asthma and could relate to the difficulties people can face and the questions that people can ask when, for example, when might pull out an inhaler. Asked what he got out of this particular performance for the first time, he said he particularly enjoyed the coffeehouse sequence, where a young woman in a wheelchair makes several attempts to enter a new coffeehouse, but is frustrated by the lack of wheelchair access and the store’s many unkept promises to provide a ramp, larger doorway, and handicapped restroom. This story, Lipkin later told the assembled audience, was indeed based on a real occurrence, and was eventually corrected after much lobbying of the coffeeshop’s owners.

Mike Rosenblum and his daughter Dana Rosenblum, 4 ½, also spoke highly of the presentation.

Dana described that she enjoyed the last skit the group performed, about, appropriately enough, a curious little girl in a barber shop watching a man in a wheelchair getting a shave, and her attempts to examine the strange object against her mother’s horrified attempts to stop her.

Her father Mike said that he appreciated the way the skits were presented with facts and with dignity, not with with emotional manipulation.

"I thought it was well done and appealed to people intelligently," he said. "It evoked awareness without sympathy, which I found very effective."

The presentation and educational program were made possible though a grant from the Henry and Gladys Crown Charitable Income Trust in memory of Shirlee Green. That Uppity Theatre Company can be reached by phone at (314) 534-1454- or on their website, www.Uppityco.com.

Copyright 2003 St. Louis Jewish Light