Most days, freshman Jade Nguyen doesn’t think twice about how to zip her backpack, participate in her English class, or carry her lunch from the cafeteria up to her usual spot on the third floor. On December 2, Nguyen had to find new ways to complete her everyday routine, as she couldn’t use her dominant hand or speak during the school day.

Nguyen was among over 40 upper school and middle school students at Parker who took part in the first ever We Are Able Campaign, a day in which students learned about and/or experienced what it’s like to live with a disability. Participants attended their regular classes with the following physical disabilities: inability to speak, visual impairment, deafness, and loss of a limb.

In order to simulate the disabilities, participants wore specific materials that included surgical masks to prevent them from speaking, eye masks with small holes for visual impairment, ear plugs for deafness, and ropes tied around their dominant arm to recreate loss of a limb. Middle schoolers simulated one disability for the entire school day, while upper schoolers “traded” disabilities with a partner half way through to experience two.

Griffen Saul, a senior at Lincoln Park High School, created the We Are Able Campaign in 2015 after his father passed away from Multiple Sclerosis. The disease, which affects the brain, immune system, and spinal cord, had caused Saul’s father to need a wheelchair.

“I need to carry on his legacy,” Saul said. “My father never let obstacles define who he was. I feel it’s important to spread that message to show people what my father stood for, and what is possible despite challenges.”

According to Saul, the goal of the the We Are Able Campaign was to raise awareness for people with disabilities, teach others proper disability etiquette, and give participants the opportunity to develop empathy for people with disabilities.

“Etiquette is the foundation for creating meaningful change,” Saul said. “There’s also a stark difference between empathy and sympathy. It’s great when people offer sympathy, but when people experience, then offer empathy, is when progress can be made.”

This year, the Campaign took place at six Chicago schools, including Lane Tech and Whitney Young, and Saul hopes it will eventually become a national and even global event. The Campaign is one component of his organization, We Are Able, which he launched in 2014 with the programming objectives of disability awareness building, youth and family empowerment, and mentorship. Since then he has met with the Chicago’s Commissioner’s Office for People with Disabilities and spoken at “We Day Illinois,” an event that brings together students who want to change the world.

Saul reached out to other high school students around Chicago to find leaders who would organize the We Are Able Campaign at their schools. Senior Rafi Derringer, a close friend of Saul’s from elementary school, put him in contact with classmate Yiorgos Takoudis. Takoudis, who has a congenital upper right limb deficiency, readily agreed to bring the Campaign to Parker. He said, “I thought this opportunity was great because I haven’t really had a chance to raise awareness for disabilities since I’ve been at Parker.”

Takoudis wanted to work with someone who had experience with a disability so that the project would be just as meaningful to his partner. He connected with junior Zoë Gardner, who has dyslexia.

“Because there aren’t as many students with disabilities at Parker as at public schools. There’s not much talk, or interest, in disability,” Gardner said. “By having this Campaign, we’re reminding everyone that people with disabilities exist, they’re important, and they deserve to be treated like people.”

Throughout the process of organizing the Campaign, Takoudis and Gardner kept in close contact with members of the administration, who greeted the initiative with open arms. Originally, the Campaign was only intended for Upper School students, but assistant principal and interim Upper School Head Ruth Jurgensen suggested that middle school students participate too.

“I’m really glad Yiorgos and Zoë implemented the We Are Able Campaign because as an adult in the community, it has really broadened my perspective,” Jurgensen said. “We want the students to be better citizens of the world, and part of that is knowing how to interact with people of all sorts of backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and ethnicities. I thought the Middle School should take part in the Campaign because the earlier awareness and training happens, the better off we all are.”

Takoudis and Gardner led a training session after school on the 1st to prepare participating the middle and upper school students. In the session, they explained why Saul founded it, what it meant to be empathetic instead of sympathetic, and the importance of acting respectfully when simulating a disability to avoid offending those with real disabilities.

Takoudis and Gardner also spoke at a faculty meeting at the beginning of the year to prepare. They requested that teachers be open to making accommodations for participating students in their classes.

“One of my students was experiencing a hearing impairment,” upper school English teacher Bonnie Seebold said. “During class, I kept checking with her to make sure she knew what was happening. I know that I have to pay close attention when I’m teaching a student with a disability.”

Many students also made efforts to help their classmates who were simulating disabilities when needed. “I was in one class where I sat next to someone with hearing impairment,” Lindsay Carlin, a freshman, said. “A few times I had to relay to her what our teacher was saying.”

Even though the disabilities posed challenges for participants, they learned that disabilities didn’t have to hold them back. When Nguyen was unable to speak during her English class discussion, she typed her ideas on her iPad, and a classmate read them aloud. Nguyen said,“I tried to keep the day as normal as possible.”

Junior Jolie Davidson experienced a hearing impairment during her morning classes and learned the importance of being educated on disability. “A lot of people assumed that I couldn’t hear them at all, or they didn’t know how to talk to me,” Davidson said. “I realized how crucial it is to not make assumptions about people with disabilities.”

Sophomore Annette Njei also participated in the Campaign, experiencing visual impairment and deafness. “I think the Campaign made kids aware of how their actions and behavior towards people with disabilities can impact their lives,” Njei said. “I learned that it’s better to be empathetic towards people with disabilities, and I shouldn’t just feel sorry for them.”

Takoudis and Gardner made sure education on disability was not limited to participants. They organized a teach-in on the 1st led by former Parker student Rachel Arfa, a deaf attorney for disability rights group Equip for Equality. She discussed the many cases Equip for Equality has taken on to protect disability rights, as well as her experiences as a student who is deaf.

After school on the 2nd, Takoudis and Gardner also set up a table in the front alcove displaying We Are Able wristbands, the materials participants used to simulate disabilities, and a laptop open to  a slide about disability etiquette. Takoudis and Gardner talked to many interested members of the community – including parents, teachers, and younger students – about the Campaign and how to be respectful towards people with disabilities.

Jurgensen believes the topic of disability should continue to be discussed by the community. She said, “Disability should be alongside every other aspect of our education around equity and inclusion.”

Intermediate and Middle School head John Novick found that the Campaign had a valuable impact on Parker. “It was a way for students to gain understanding and empathy for people unlike them, but also very much like them,” Novick said. “I think that’s the point of We Are Able – to get students to realize people with disabilities really aren’t any different.”