• “To Kevin – don’t ever give up”--From Kyle, age 14
• “Empathy – the experience as one’s own of the feelings of another. Thanks a bunch Kevin!”--Alaina, age 13
• “Kevin, thanks for coming I really enjoyed it. I think that it will help me in the future when I see people with disabilities. I will have empathy and not sympathy, now that I know how they feel. Thanks again. Hope to see you some time.”--Chris, age 12
• “Thanks for the visit. I learned that when people are blind they do the same stuff but it is harder to do it. I didn’t’ know pouring water is harder to do. It is easier to see it than to do it. Thanks for letting me see what it is like to be blind.”--Joey, age 13
• “Thank you Kevin for helping me learn that it is ok to have problems.”--Katie, age 12
• “You made me feel lucky. Thanks for teaching me how it feels to be disabled.”--Tony, age 16
• “Thanks Kevin. The things we learned we will never ever forget.”--Love, Candace, age 14
• Dear Kevin, thank you for coming to our class. I now know how people with disabilities feel when someone just walks by and ignores them. I didn’t think that you could do all of those amazing things. When you asked that question at the end of your presentation about having one wish, I would wish for everyone to not ignore someone just because of the way they look. I appreciate you coming. --Nadia, age 13

On March 13, Kevin Chong presented a series of workshops to the Christie School’s education program, designed to teach the children about disabilities and learning empathy for those who may walk or talk differently from themselves.

Chong, 35, was born with cerebral palsy. Since 1994 he has conducted similar workshops for a variety of groups throughout Oregon and Washington. “It is important for children to begin as early as possible to think about other people outside of the box, “ Chong explained. “We tend to not think about people outside of our comfort zone – people that are different. By allowing people to go through my workshop, they gain an understanding and insight and develop empathy for people with differences – not just people with disabilities.”

After talking with the kids about his own life and experiences, Chong, along with Christie teachers and volunteers, led the kids through a series of activities such as going through a door in a wheelchair, writing on a wall board using felt-tip pens taped to the ends of 3-foot-long sticks, putting on clothes with the fingers of one hand taped together and pouring water from a bottle into a cup while blindfolded.

The Christie School staff particularly liked the way Chong’s message resonated with the children at Christie. “It has helped the kids learn how to appreciate their own life, and what they do have,” said Tiffany Jones, Education Coordinator, “These young people have been through tremendous amounts of trauma and emotional pain – but they have the physical and mental ability to change for the better. This workshop really impressed that upon a lot of the kids.”