Saint Louis University

Angela Camel
October 17, 2002
NewsNet

"That is so retarded!" "He gave me such a lame excuse!" "She is so ADD!" "Gimp!"

These demeaning comments are taken from the opening piece of the performances done by the Disability Project, which is a local ensemble of actors with and without physical disabilities. The comments are used to give the audience a realistic glimpse into the disabled world and grab their attention. It works every time.

The Disability Project presents comments and disability scenarios realistically. Through this art form it tries to break down barriers in society caused by people's attitudes. The project has existed since 1996 and is run by award-winning director Joan Lipkin. The actors and actresses perform around the St. Louis area in a wide variety of places, from schools and churches to nontraditional places such as the Missouri History Museum. They want to educate, advocate and raise awareness of disability issues.

The actors and actresses form a diverse and tight-knit group. They range in age from 18- 70 years. Those in the group who are handicapped possess disabilities such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. The group is multi-faceted and diverse in race, ethnicity, class, occupation, education, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability and performance experience. There are about fourteen regular players and the cast of characters varies at each show.

The Project gives people with disabilities an opportunity to speak out about the issues and challenges of their everyday life. The Disability Project, "through innovative performance of high quality, we hope to further public understanding of disability and continue important work that began in the 1950s and peaked in 1990 with the Americans with Disabilities Act" Lipkin said recently. As audiences watch them perform, they are "moved to examine their own perception of disability and how they could act differently," Lipkin added.

Each show they perform consists of a series of skits, dances and theatrical pieces put to music. The skits deal with real disability issues and speak directly to the audience. "Coffeehouse" tells the story of a wheelchair- bound man who is frustrated when he can't access a local coffeehouse because two steps block the front entrance. He fights to have a ramp installed.

"Employment" is about a young woman in a wheelchair who wants to work at a crowded department store. While an overworked salesperson wants to hire her, the store manager does not think it is possible. Another favorite is "Parking," in which a wheelchair-bound woman deals with the challenge of finding a disabled parking spot, spots that are often taken by able-bodied people.

A common theme of these skits focuses on the barriers that people with disabilities have to face. The force driving these barriers is the attitudes of people in society. Disabilities are often viewed as something negative. It is this attitude that leads people to maintain inaccessible coffeehouses, abuse accessible parking and oppose hiring someone with a disability. The disability project presents these challenges from the view- point of someone with a disability, which enables the audiences to understand the personal difficulties they deal with.

The group also touches on the personal side of having a disability. "Go Figure" tells of a quadriplegic's first sexual experience after being paralyzed in a car accident. Another piece called "Depression" addresses this illness as a medical condition. All of these pieces are based on real-life experiences of the group members.

Of course, a performance would not be complete without "Gotta Move," a dance piece done to Prince's "Kiss". As the actors groove in their chairs and form a circular dance line, the audience claps along. Able- bodied people might believe that people with disabilities are unable to dance. However, dancing is not only something people in wheelchairs with can do, but obviously something they enjoy. Katie Banister, a quadriplegic who has been with the project since the beginning, claims that people in wheelchairs "can dance and look good and be entertaining and have fun." This is a perfect example of the perceptions that the project seeks to change.

Able- bodied people might also perceive that disabled people have a poor quality of life. However, as the enthusiasm and spirit of the ensemble members demonstrates, disabled people are able to live joyful and meaningful lives. They are able to do normal everyday things such as dance. They just do them a little differently.

"People with disabilities are a part of the human spectrum. The fact that they may look different, move different or sound different does not detract from the soul or spirit," Lipkin said. The group concludes each performance with the ensemble reciting in unison "We are of you. We are among you. We are you. Do not be afraid."

Each performance is followed by a "talk back," which serves as an interactive experience for the audience. The group members take turns introducing themselves. Each talks about their disability, but also about their personal accomplishments. The members also field questions from the audience. Many of these questions address issues such as how to talk to children about people with disabilities and how to properly execute social interaction. These questions have inspired original pieces for the project.

The audience responds with positive feedback. They clap their hands to the music, laugh at the humor and applaud enthusiastically. Lisa Phifer, a student at Saint Louis University, recently saw the ensemble perform at the Missouri History Museum. "The Disability Project took real situations and presented them in both a humorous and tragic light, capturing the essence of the everyday lives of those with disabilities. It presented them as normal people and gave me a better appreciation for the challenges they have to deal with," Phifer said. Clearly the message hits home.

The Disability Project was created by Lipkin. Lipkin, originally from Chicago, came to the St. Louis area to attend Webster University. She first worked with the disabled population during a project at the Atlanta Center in New Smyra Beach, FL, under the New York director Joseph Chaikin. The disabled are an "under-served population whose life stories are not correctly represented," Lipkin said. She was inspired to find a voice for these people.

She returned to Saint Louis in the fall of 1996 and teamed up with Fran Cohen, an Occupational Therapist at Washington University. Cohen assembled a few of the leaders of the disabled community, and they sat down to talk about disability culture and the challenges they face. This commemorated the first sharing circle, a tradition that continues at every rehearsal the project has.

The group meets every Saturday morning for rehearsals at the Occupational Therapy Clinic at Washington University. They begin each practice with a sharing circle, in which group members have an opportunity to share news. Many pieces are developed from the stories they share. The group goes through a warm-up and proceeds to work on developing new pieces, and they run through old pieces for up coming performances. The rehearsal concludes with a circle in which everyone is thanked for his or her work. The members are also thankful for the opportunity to have a voice and share their talents.

Over the years, the group has received many impressive awards, such as the 2000 Missouri Arts Award, 2000 John Van Voris Award for Community Service, the 2000 Arts for Life Special Lifetime Achievement in Progress Award, and the 2001 Governor's Council on Disability Inclusion Award for Community Enhancement. While the group is honored by these recognitions, Lipkin adds that for her the real reward is seeing a child say hello to someone in a wheelchair.

As the ensemble grows and new pieces and players join the Disability Project, the future looks bright. But Lipkin has high goals, "I would like to see us perform at the White House and before State Legislatures and other lawmakers," she said. With their enthusiasm and dedication, they will continue to succeed in breaking down barriers and changing people's perceptions.