The Power of a Playhouse

Nervous glances. Long stares. Muffled laughter.

When people with disabilities, especially those with Down syndrome, enter public spaces, they’re often greeted with a mixed reception.  

Whether it’s at a school, restaurant, or grocery store, many members of the neurotypical population aren’t used to seeing individuals with disabilities, and because of this, many people don’t know how to react. They stare, laugh, or altogether ignore individuals with disabilities who are simply going about their day.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to children. Teens, adults, people of all ages — so many people in our society don’t know how to have meaningful interactions with people with disabilities… many don’t know how to even start a conversation.

This can have incredibly damaging effects on individuals with disabilities. They see and hear it all — every glance, every stare, every laugh — and it can cause them to feel ignored, unwanted, and ultimately isolated by society at large; 61 percent of people with a disability report that they’re chronically lonely!

It’s a problem. A BIG one.

But it’s unfair to place the blame squarely on the neurotypical population. No one goes out of their way to intentionally make someone feel isolated — nearly everyone means well.

…It boils down to exposure.

So many members of the neurotypical population are never given exposure to people with disabilities. It starts in our schools, where individuals with disabilities are plucked out of the average classroom, but it extends into the workplace and other aspects of adult life, where neurotypical individuals and people with disabilities are clearly divided.

Simply put, institutions are separating us.

But GiGi’s Playhouse is challenging that. With our 60^th Playhouse set to open its doors in Simi Valley in August, and three more Playhouse openings slated for later this year, our physical locations are sprouting up and entering more and more communities. In a world where so many longstanding brick-and-mortar locations are shuttering their doors, our Playhouses are thriving!

Opening more Playhouses allows us to extend our reach, offer more FREE programming, and help more individuals with Down syndrome and their families! But our impact extends beyond individuals with Down syndrome.

When a Playhouse opens in a community, it gives people of all walks of life — neurotypical or otherwise, meaningful exposure and awareness to individuals with Down syndrome.

Our Playhouses are 99% volunteer-run. Many view this as a cost-cutting measure; after all, we are a nonprofit. But the rationale for making our Playhouses volunteer-run extends far deeper than that. To secure volunteers, our Playhouses must reach OUT to their respective communities, and bring community members IN to our Playhouses to help us with programming.  

Many of these community members have no experience working with individuals with Down syndrome or any people with disabilities prior to volunteering at GiGi’s.

GiGi’s Playhouse provides exposure.

We help members of the community interact with one another and break down barriers. At GiGi’s, our volunteers learn not only to celebrate the differences that individuals with Down syndrome have, but they also learn how similar we all are!

Many of our volunteers even find their calling in life at GiGi’s. But beyond this, volunteering at GiGi’s helps community members build meaningful relationships with people of ALL abilities. In turn, it causes a chain reaction — those volunteers then talk to their friends and family, making them aware of the Down syndrome community and the disability community at large.

This awareness fosters a bridge to understanding and, ultimately, acceptance.

In a world where community members have had meaningful exposure to people from the disability community, they don’t stare, look away, or laugh at individuals with a disability when they enter a public space. Instead, community members greet them like they would anyone else.

At the end of the day, regardless of ability, people are more alike than we often think… our Playhouses are helping entire communities realize that.

Become a more accepting person. Volunteer at GiGi’s.

Our Playhouses give you meaningful exposure to individuals from the Down syndrome community and people of ALL abilities. You’ll interact with community members you likely would have never met and build life-long bonds; you’ll become a more well-rounded person.

Find volunteer opportunities at a Playhouse near you.