By Mikeya Jackson-Harper
Anthony Paul Curry and Carrie Gibson’s Oct. 23 peformances of “Not Just Ramps” at the BCC Carlson Theatre explored issues, stereotypes, and societal fears that many disabled people struggle with throughout life. This play is based on real life experiences of disabled people they interviewed for this production.
Within the first 10 minutes of the show, the two actors had switched costumes to become ordinary people with disabilities. One person was hearing impaired and the other was blind. The actors used ironic humor and miscommunication between the characters, such as when one person was an “abled” person, and the other person had a disability.
For example, in one of the scenarios, Gibson’s character was an “abled” person communicating with a deaf person by using inaccurate signs. The deaf person was upset and said to the audience, “When speaking to a deaf person, speak regularly don’t use fake signs because that person can often read lips.” Shortly after, the “abled” person covered her face with her hand and tried to speak to the person who was deaf.
The message of the show was to imagine living in the shoes of people who are different, instead of making assumptions based on that individual. From the show many people learned the humane aspect of people who live with disabilities and to ask other people questions about respect. Many people who are living with disabilities want to be treated as a human being