Wyoming — With his hood pulled tightly over his head and his eyes downcast, senior Gabe Craig walked into the Wyoming High School media center to the sound of cheers and applause.
He headed past the students, teachers and administrators gathered in his honor, ignoring the cake on display for him, and went directly to the back of the room. He sat on a chair and slumped over, avoiding eye contact with his backpack secure on his shoulders.
But as people approached him for fist bumps, hugs and photos, Gabe began to smile. His face transformed and his eyes brightened, providing a glimpse of the personality those surrounding him have gotten to know so well.
“Congratulations, Gabe! Why are you such a big deal?” came a question from the crowd.
It wasn’t a question he would answer, and his teachers weren’t surprised. When asked about his strengths days before, Gabe seemed bewildered, said special education teacher Anna Servo-Christiaans.
“He doesn’t like to talk about himself. He’s very humble,” she said.
Gabe didn’t want to be interviewed about receiving the Discover Ability Award from Disability Advocates of Kent County, which honors youth with disabilities for making a difference in the community.
‘I think he really deserves the award. He’s a great person and he has a lot of abilities.’
– sophomore Keegan Harper
Instead, his teachers and peers provided clues to why Gabe is such a big deal, and why Wyoming staff overwhelmingly wanted to nominate him for the award. In a circle around Gabe, they asked:
“Do people high-five you in the hallway?”
“Yeah,” Gabe said.
“Do you greet everyone?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you make (a teacher’s) day every day by sitting by her?”
Yeah.
“Do you help me?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you stand up for me when kids are being disrespectful?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you make all the new kids in our class feel welcome?”
“Yeah.”
Flipping the Script
Gabe received the award during Disability Advocates’ Invest in Ability dinner Nov. 7 in front of a record crowd of over 400, said David Bulkowski, executive director for Disability Advocates.
Every year, Disability Advocates honors an organization or individual who supports people with disabilities with the Invest in Ability award. But when former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell was the recipient nine years ago, he said he would only accept the award if the organization started a youth award as well, Bulkowski said.
In response, Disability Advocates created the Discover Ability award to honor youth younger than 30 who have disabilities. Nominations are accepted from throughout Kent County.
“A lot of the time, awards are for people who volunteer to help people with disabilities, which kind of (supports) the myth that people with disabilities only need help,” Bulkowski said during the Wyoming High School celebration. “What this award does is it flips that script a bit to say people with disabilities are just like everybody else, because everybody in this room needs help and everybody can give help.”
Servo-Christiaans said Gabe is a “different kid” than he was two years ago, and much of that is due to connections made with other students through Wyoming High School’s Peer Mentors and Unified Sports programs. At first, Gabe was hesitant to work during classes and for sports with the general ed peers who pair up with students who have disabilities, but he soon excelled in the programs.
He now helps train new mentors.
“Gabe struggled with his attitude and willingness to do things that he didn’t want to do. The root of this was his lack of understanding of his disability and the fear of being made fun of or excluded because of it,” Servo-Christiaans shared in the nomination form. “Once Gabe began to understand his disability and advocate for himself, the true Gabe that we see today came out.”
Students and teachers describe Gabe as a multi-sport athlete who takes part in every leadership opportunity presented to him. He promotes the inclusion of students with disabilities and is a friend to all, they said.
“I think he really deserves the award. He’s a great person and he has a lot of abilities,” said friend and sophomore Keegan Harper. “He’s very nice. He shows his inner leader.”
Senior Jackson Lamrouex said he became a peer mentor specifically to hang out with Gabe, who he got to know on the varsity football team. “He’s nice to everybody, even if it’s his first time meeting them. I’ve never heard him say a bad thing.”
After 25 minutes of praise and compliments in the media center, Gabe, now with his hoodie off and, as he said, “something in my eye” making it tear up, was ready to go.
“Can I leave? What time is it, 2:50?” he asked.
The teachers agreed and off Gabe went, taking a piece of cake and the award — kind of a big deal — with him.
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