Puppets teach about disabilities

Drama students at Fort Frances High School staged a series of puppet shows Friday to teach local elementary students about disabilities.
Through assistance from the Northwestern Independent Living Services (NILS) and a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the drama students used “The Kids on the Block” puppets to share information on such things as cerebral palsy, visual impairment, and learning disabilities.
“There is a need to educate children and the public about different disabilities,” stressed NILS board member Sybil Mowe.
The six puppets, which were on loan to the drama students from NILS, have been in Kenora and Dryden before, but it was the first time “The Kids on the Block” have appeared in Fort Frances.
“They did a really good job, especially for their first time,” noted Sarah Gervais, acting co-ordinator of NILS in Fort Frances. “I think the students learned a lot. Look at the questions that came out.”
Following each of the three skits in the sessions, the youngsters were encouraged to ask questions.
Some of the questions included how the blind puppet crosses the road, whether the puppet with cerebral palsy can stand up, and if the puppet with dyslexia is ever teased by other kids at school.
“It’s a wonderful learning experience for the high school students, as well,” Mowe noted.
The drama students spent about two weeks preparing for the performances—learning the techniques for the “hand and rod” puppets, casting the scenes, and choosing and learning the scripts.
The style of puppetry used is based on a Japanese style called “Bunraku.” The puppeteers dress in black and stand behind the puppet to operate it.
“This style of puppetry is extremely effective in creating an atmosphere where children feel comfortable asking the puppets questions about the given topic,” said a statement on “The Kids on the Block” website.
The drama students, meanwhile, had to learn about the disability they were portraying—especially in order to be able to answer questions put forth by the young students.
“Some of us didn’t know anything about some of the disabilities, so we learned as we were teaching it,” said Heather Williams.
“You had to throw your uncomfortable feelings about the characters out the door and approach the performances with comfort and confidence,” she added.
Each puppet came with its own name, personality, and struggles that the drama students were able to convey.
Fort High drama teacher Willa Kunkel indicated some of the students even had to rehearse different voices due to the disabilities the puppets have.
For instance, the character with cerebral palsy also suffered from throat atrophy, which is the loss of muscle mass from the lack of being able to use the throat muscles.
The inability to use these muscles causes the puppet to speak abnormally.
“They really had to put themselves in the position of the character,” Kunkel noted. “They also showed a lot of team effort and were able to answer the many questions that were asked by the kids.”
The drama students explained some of the questions asked were straightforward while others were answered using information they had learned about the disabilities.
“It was really great how positive the characters were,” Williams stressed. “They were open and wanted people to know about the disabilities.
“It was great how the kids reacted when we got them to open up.”
Kunkel said while they were able to present “The Kids on the Block” program to a number of elementary school children, learning about disabilities is something that should be shared throughout the community.
She said she would look into holding public performances here down the road.
“Viewing a ‘Kids on the Block’ performance is an unforgettable educational experience,” the website stated.
“The kids vividly and effectively model relationships between people, both with and without disabilities, by using frank and often humorous communication of facts and feeling between the puppet characters and the audience.”
The Kids on the Block, Inc. originated in 1977 and is now internationally-acclaimed.
Growing over the years, it offers programs on more than 40 different disabilities and social concerns, and encompasses more than 30 characters in all.