WHAT IS A HANDICAP There is a

WHAT IS A HANDICAP?

There is a sign on a tree, two blocks away. Can you read what it says without your glasses? There’s a kid in your class who runs like a rabbit. Can you catch her? There is a song with a tune that’s not exactly catchy. Can you sing it?

If you can’t do any one of those things, would you call yourself handicapped? Of Course Not

Suppose you have a friend who loves doing everything you do. Who can throw a ball as far as you can. Who’s better at tongue twisters. And can even do his math faster than you. But sometimes he has trouble keeping up because he needs a wheelchair to get around. Would you call him handicapped?

In a way, we all have a handicap of some sort or another. Maybe we can’t see things that are far away. Maybe we are slow. Maybe we can’t carry a tune. Or maybe we can’t hear. Or walk.

But why not look at it a little differently. And say there is no such thing as a handicap at all. We can always get glasses. Or go out and buy the record. Or learn to speak with our hands. Or play basketball in a wheelchair.

We can do anything we want. That’s what is so special about people after all. And why people we call handicapped are not so different from you and me.

Here is Ken Vasil in Little League Challengers, age 8.

At age 9 Ken was introduced to Unified Sports through his school in Berlin

By middle school Ken was now playing Unified Sports soccer and Basketball with his teammates.

Ken started playing Special Ice Hockey at age 13 when the Hartford Whalers began a team for people with disabilities

The Ct Chasers Special Hockey Team started by learning to stand on their skates by first being pushed on the ice, sitting on plastic chairs by members of the Whalers and volunteers from Avon Old Farms School.

This is Ken’s Hockey team enjoying one of their many tournaments from New York to Ottawa, Denver, Toronto, Baltimore and Alexandria.

Two summers ago Special Olympics offered Ken the opportunity through Bobs Store’s partnership to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. Ken has gone from Challenger Little League to the Boston Redsocks through his experiences with Unified Sports and Special Olympics.

This was a thrill of a lifetime

So is Ken handicapped? I would say that each of us is handicapped in some way. We choose to concentrate on strengths rather than weaknesses.

How can you help find the strengths in people that may be different from you? • Be kind • Avoid name calling • Be a friend to someone who needs one • Volunteer for Special Olympics • Go to www. soct. org