Handicap This! Team Blog
May 21, 2013 - Click here to view comments
We need your help to bring our message to Boston this fall. Back in February, Todd Civin and Adriana Mallozzi, started the initial plans of bringing the Handicap This Team to Boston. They are looking at hosting at least 3 shows. Since then they have also added to their team, bringing on board Becky Curran and Remon Jourdan. Recently, they have set up an Indie GoGo page to help raise money to offset show related costs. What is a Indie GoGo page? It is a site that uses the power of a “Crowd” to raise money for specific projects. Check out the page here!
The Boston Team is looking to raise $5,000 by July 12, 2013. Currently, this project has already raised $1,480!
If we do not raise the full amount of $5,000, the Boston team does not receive any funding. Every dollar counts!
Here is how you can help.
1. Make a donation. $5. $15. $25. or more! This is where the power of the crowd really makes a difference! Small amounts add up fast!
2. Spread the word! Share the link on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest!
3. Share this Blog.
4. Get in touch with Adriana Mallozi, Todd Civin, Becky Curran, and Remon Jourdan. Let them know you are looking to help!
Our show is powerful and is changing lives. We are excited to share our story with the great people of Boston. Obviously, Boston has been in the spotlight for the bombing tragedy in April. The Handicap This Team and the Boston Team would like to invite all those injured in the attack to be our guests at one of the shows.
Thank you for your willingness to help!
Rollin’ to a town near you,
Mike and Tim
Guest Blog
May 3, 2013 - Click here to view comments
I’m a curvy woman.
I’m a sharp writer.
I’m a comic strip reality-series character.
I have quirky disabilities.
And, guess what? All of these traits work in my favor. Without them, I wouldn’t be the real-life “DitzAbled Princess.”
Since mid-February 2013, “DitzAbled Princess” has been running as a web comic series. You can view it here! Over 172,000 folks—from all walks and wheels of life—have visited to see what all the commotion is about. Now, there’s even a book out. Think: “DitzAbled Princess: A Comical Diary” by Marvelous Spirit Press.
Now, you might be wondering why I’d put my life out there for grabs. Yes, it’s true. I’m a sucker for punch lines. You should check out my comic book collection. But, in reality, my passion stems beyond laughs. I’m penning this comic strip (“DitzAbled Princess”) for women. Specifically for gals like me who have disabilities. Reality check, we’ve been ignored for too long.
The character, Jewel, is like many other 30-something stereotypical chicks. She shops like crazy. She drives her frugal, yet smitten husband mad. She has a pushy boss. She has an un-trainable, stubborn pup in diapers. Her most marked difference? Jewel has physical disabilities. Oh, and she lives with not only “Hubby,” but her wacky family which makes for a circus environment at times.
In the comic, Jewel regards her disabilities as a “perk.” She gets out of doing housework. She meets interesting doctors. She gets hit on by hot Paratransit drivers. However, it’s not all fun and games. There are times when she is talked down to by “well-meaning” members of society. These are the simple realities of living with disability.
Really a comic strip depicting life with disabilities should’ve been done a long time ago. It boggles my mind as to why it has taken so long for an eccentric woman with disabilities to make this happen. Certainly without the help of Katarina Andriopoulos, “DitzAbled Princess” simply wouldn’t exist. She brings this series to life through her impeccable art and design. Perhaps it’s our good fortune that nobody stumbled onto this idea first.
On the flipside, my disabilities are made of good fortune too. Without these permanent gifts I wouldn’t be the real-life “DitzAbled Princess.” So the next time a stranger feels “sorry” for me, I’ll ask what difference he or she is making with his or her life. I’m laying my cards on the table for the world to see. In turn, I hope mainstream society realizes life with disabilities ain’t bad—but rather, tastefully sweet. After all, a gal with a disability gets the best parking spot at a designer shoe sale. All in thanks to her “celebrity” accessible parking pass. If that’s not equivalent to stardom status, what else is?
ABOUT JEWEL KATS
Once a teen runaway, Jewel Kats is now a self-made Diva. For six years, Jewel penned a syndicated teen advice column for Scripps Howard News Service (USA) and TorStar Syndication Service (Canada). She’s won $20,000 in scholarships from Global Television Network and women’s book publisher, Harlequin Enterprises. Jewel also interned in the TV studio of Entertainment Tonight Canada. Her books have been featured in Ability Magazine twice. She’s penned seven award-winning books. Her obsession of late is: “DitzAbled Princess”—a reality-series comic strip series she co-creates with, Katarina Andriopoulos.
Please visit: www.ditzabledprincess.com
Or, read the web comic HERE!
