Comedians talk about disabilities

This week two unlikely comedians took the stage at Flathead Valley Community College to talk about how people handle disabilities.

The first, Nina G, announced herself at the March 22 performance as the West Coast’s only stuttering comedian. The second, Michael Beers, said he had vacterl association — which comes with a series of symptoms.

“But the punch line is everything on my left side is bigger than my right side,” Beers said, holding his hands in the air. “As you can see, my left arm is drastically larger than the T-rex appendage on my right.”

The duo were booked by FVCC’s disability support group, Appreciating Individuality Challenges and Excellence.

Anna San Diego, FVCC staff adviser to the group and disability and assessment specialist, said the night highlighted the need to talk about disabilities.

“The group is an opportunity for people to talk about their challenges and create a community within FVCC,” San Diego said. “But we’ve become more active in our education piece as we’ve grown.”

She said the group aimed to show that disabilities come in different forms, whether it’s evident or not.

Roughly 120 FVCC students visit San Diego’s office with various disabilities, she said.

“Many kids don’t like to talk about what they’re going through with others. They often internalize it and suffer as a result,” she said.

Second-year student Dieter Grosswiler said when he enrolled in FVCC he didn’t know if he would graduate from college.

“I started on a low. I got carpal tunnel in both wrists and just had surgery on both hands before I got in school,” Grosswiler, 24, said.

During his first week at FVCC, Grosswiler found the disability support group. In front of people also struggling, Grosswiler said he admitted he was scared he would never graduate. He told them about the pain most people couldn’t see and how that affected his school life.

As he got to know the members, he found students he saw potential in.

“They were doing it, so could I,” he said. “We work through stuff together.”

Grosswiler is now the president of the support group and is set to receive his associate degree in computer science in May. In the fall, he is scheduled to continue his studies at Montana State University.

During the comedy performance, some audience members looked around the room before laughing. But Shandra Bell, 18, laughed loudly and nodded her head as each presenter talked about being stared at or pitied by strangers.

Bell is in her first year at FVCC and is also in the support group.

She was born with Crouzon syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that results from the premature fusion of the skull. It affects roughly 1.6 people out of every 100,000, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

“It’s amazing to see two people, with disabilities you can see and ones you can’t, get in front of a crowd and say, ‘I’m here, this is what’s wrong with me, let’s talk about this and laugh a bit,’” Bell said.

She said when she was growing up, school was a place people laughed at her.

Since joining groups that work to raise awareness about disabilities, she found ways to talk about what she faces. Bell said she also understands other forms of disabilities better.

“Everyone’s probably got something they deal with,” Bell said. “There’s something really cool about being in a group that talks about those challenges. I know I’m not the only one, and I can do what other students do, just in different ways.”

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.