North Texas Giving Day 2021: To Be Like Me
Editor’s Note: As part of our coverage of North Texas Giving Day this year, we’ve invited nonprofits to pitch themselves to our readers.
Ever wonder how you would describe colors to someone who is blind? How you might best help someone who uses a wheelchair? Or how you would communicate with someone who is Deaf if you don’t know sign language?
To Be Like Me (www.tobelikeme.org) is a Dallas-based nonprofit that helps to answer these questions and more. To Be Like Me is dedicated to creating inclusive communities through personal interactions and connections with disabled individuals, and to provide paid employment for disabled members of our community. The mission of To Be Like Me is to break down the barriers that exist for those with disabilities, shed light on the positive impact of inclusion, ignite compassion, and foster awareness of the unique abilities of others.
To Be Like Me offers disability awareness programs, both in-person and online, focusing primarily on school-aged children and fostering empathy among them. We also provide paid employment for people with a disability to be our Leaders in Education and Advocacy for Disabilities (LEADers).
During our in-person program, students participate in five different “experiences” that provide them with an opportunity to directly interact with our LEADers. In each experience, LEADers provide education about their disability or difference and facilitate a meaningful interaction to demonstrate the positive impact of inclusion and acceptance. The program is a platform for LEADers to share their stories, find paid employment and purpose, and advocate for themselves and others. Our in-person programs are student field trips to the Tolleson Family Activity Center, but we also offer in-person and online classes for teachers, graduate students and community groups by request.
The vision of an inclusive community created through personal interactions and relationships is what motivates the staff and volunteers at To Be Like Me. We believe that through meaningful interactions with our LEADers, we create a learning opportunity that fosters empathy and compassion and equips our communities to be more inclusive. We hope you will join us in creating more inclusive communities by making a donation to To Be Like Me this North Texas Giving Day. Your donation is an investment in the communities today and communities for the generations to come.
