{"id":47667,"date":"2001-06-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2001-06-12T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2001\/06\/12\/puppets-teach-children-about-disabilities-acceptingothers\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T10:52:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T15:52:08","slug":"puppets-teach-children-about-disabilities-acceptingothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2001\/06\/12\/puppets-teach-children-about-disabilities-acceptingothers\/","title":{"rendered":"Puppets Teach Children about Disabilities, Accepting\n\nOthers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Riley loves to show Darren Stroupe how to do “wheelies” in his<\/p>\n

cruiser, and Stroupe loves introducing Mark to his friends.<\/p>\n

For the past eight years, the red-haired pals have visited thousands<\/p>\n

of first- through sixth-graders in and around Omaha to talk about disabilities.<\/p>\n

Mark, who calls his wheelchair his “cruiser,” has cerebral palsy. Stroupe<\/p>\n

is his puppeteer.<\/p>\n

The two are part of Kids On The Block, an internationally acclaimed<\/p>\n

program that uses puppets to help students accept differences in themselves<\/p>\n

and others, as well as educate them about health and social concerns that<\/p>\n

affect their lives.<\/p>\n

Stroupe and puppeteers Leanne Robey, Kelley McCormack and Nicole Giron,<\/p>\n

all of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute,<\/p>\n

bring to life Mark, Brenda, Renaldo, Melody, Anna and Jennifer as they<\/p>\n

discuss such topics as cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, visual and hearing<\/p>\n

impairments, learning disabilities, spina bifida, attention deficit hyperactivity<\/p>\n

disorder, cancer, asthma, organ donation and transplantation, alcohol and<\/p>\n

tobacco prevention and problem solving.<\/p>\n

In all, 27 handmade puppets 3 to 4 feet tall live in the Munroe-Meyer<\/p>\n

Institute making UNMC’s troupe one of the 10 largest in the country.<\/p>\n

The group will be joined later this summer by the newest puppets: Shane<\/p>\n

Davis, who has muscular dystrophy, and his sister Carrie.<\/p>\n

“The kids have a wonderful reaction to the puppets,” said McCormack,<\/p>\n

a recreational therapist at MMI. “Some get so caught up in the show that<\/p>\n

they don’t realize they’re talking to puppets.”<\/p>\n

Kids On The Block use “hand and rod” puppets, based on the Japanese<\/p>\n

style of puppetry called Bunraku (pronounced boon-rah-koo). The puppeteer’s<\/p>\n

one hand works the mouth of the puppet, while the other hand manipulates<\/p>\n

the rod for gestures. Some of the puppets have a disability and use aids,<\/p>\n

such as a wheelchair or cane, to make their character distinct and realistic.<\/p>\n

UNMC’s Kids On The Block is supported by the Hattie B. Munroe Foundation<\/p>\n

and the Munroe-Meyer Operating Board, both of which help with the purchase<\/p>\n

of puppets and scripts.<\/p>\n

“The children ask the puppets questions they might not ask us,” Robey<\/p>\n

said. “Some of them forget we’re even there.”<\/p>\n

In past performances, children have wondered how Mark goes to the bathroom<\/p>\n

if he’s in a wheelchair and how Renaldo eats and dreams if he’s blind.<\/p>\n

“How do you know where your food is on your plate if you can’t see it?”<\/p>\n

one fourth-grade boy recently asked Renaldo.<\/p>\n

“My mom puts my food on my plate like it is a clock,” Renaldo says.<\/p>\n

“I know what a clock looks like and how the numbers are arranged. My hamburger<\/p>\n

is at 12:00, my fries are at 4:00 and my salad is at 8:00.”<\/p>\n

Sometimes the children share stories, feelings, secrets. One boy invited<\/p>\n

the puppet to play at his house. Another one disclosed that his father<\/p>\n

hit his mother.<\/p>\n

The troupe generally performs on Tuesdays, as well as at the annual<\/p>\n

KidzExplore event in Omaha. There is no charge for the performance; the<\/p>\n

troupe charges only for their mileage.<\/p>\n

Cindy McGeary, a first-grade teacher at Picotte Elementary School in<\/p>\n

Omaha, called Kids On The Block when she had students with Down’s syndrome<\/p>\n

and spina bifida join her classroom.<\/p>\n

“We wanted our students to know that students with disabilities are<\/p>\n

like us in so many ways,” she said. “The children learn more about the<\/p>\n

disability from the puppet’s perspective. It’s also easier for them to<\/p>\n

ask questions and they relate better to others who have disabilities.”<\/p>\n

McCormack agreed. “Kids On The Block opens doors and provides information<\/p>\n

in a non-threatening, fun way. It’s safe to share with another child and<\/p>\n

that’s what they see in the puppets.”<\/p>\n

Anyone interested in learning more about Kids On The Block, or scheduling<\/p>\n

a performance, should call 559-3018.<\/p>\n

Kids On The Block, Inc., originated in 1977 in direct response to U.S.<\/p>\n

public law 94-142, which required that children with disabilities be educated<\/p>\n

in the least restrictive environment. For many children, this meant being<\/p>\n

included in a classroom with their non-disabled peers.<\/p>\n

Mark Riley, who represents a child with cerebral palsy, was the first<\/p>\n

puppet character created. Today, there are thousands of Kids On The Block<\/p>\n

programs throughout the 50 states and in more than 27 countries including<\/p>\n

Israel, Canada, the Philippines, New Zealand, Brazil, Ireland, Japan and<\/p>\n

Poland.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

-30-<\/center><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark Riley loves to show Darren Stroupe how to do “wheelies” in his cruiser, and Stroupe loves introducing Mark to his friends. For the past eight years, the red-haired pals have visited thousands of first- through sixth-graders in and around Omaha to talk about disabilities. Mark, who calls his wheelchair his “cruiser,” has cerebral palsy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\nPuppets Teach Children about Disabilities, Accepting Others<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mark Riley loves to show Darren Stroupe how to do "wheelies" in his cruiser, and Stroupe loves introducing Mark to his friends. 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