BUCYRUS — Local business professionals took time to try to understand the lives of others Tuesday during Try on a Disability Day.
Crawford County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Court Sturts said the purpose of the day is to try to help able-bodied individuals in the community better understand the lifestyles lived by those with various disabilities.
“We get told that putting on a disability for a few hours doesn’t accurately depict what it’s like to live with a disability,” Sturts said during his opening comments of the day. “But it’s the best way we know how to start the conversation.”
CCBDD Director of Community Services Kim Kent said it may appear at times that the participants are not taking the activity seriously because of laughter or other apparent lightheartedness.
“At times, that’s just how some people react to being uncomfortable,” Kent said. “And just being uncomfortable is a step toward acknowledging the lives of others who live with the disabilities every day.”
Fourteen participants took on different disabilities which were simulated by wearing glasses with blinders, wearing slings and boots, using a wheelchair, wearing noise-canceling headphones and other means.
They were then transported on a handicap-accessible bus from Ohio Specialty Services to four locations including RNI, Waycraft Industries, Chrysalis Advantage Point and Fairway School.
They later reconvened for lunch and to hear from the mother of a special needs adult and a special needs individual.
The participants then were able to share their own experiences.
The Crawford County Board of Developmental Disabilities serves more than 350 people.