The Californer - Father Forms Non-Profit Organization with Simple Plea

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Non-profit wants everyone to share simple message

New charity says pretending disabled persons and their caregivers are not there does not help.

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - Californer -- See The Disabled Corporation, a registered 501(c)3 organization, seeks the help of members of the public, corporate entities and governmental organizations to help spread a simple message — See Disabled Persons. The charity was formed when a father — who felt that he had tried to be a good person — had a toddler child identified as permanently disabled.

"It was like when you buy a car and suddenly you see the same car everywhere," said Mark Espenschied, president, See the Disabled Corporation. "When my son was identified as profoundly disabled, suddenly I noticed all of the other disabled persons and their caregivers. I felt ashamed I had not been more aware before."

From Disappointment to Horror
Espenschied also became more cognizant of news stories about disabled persons. He had been aware of the concerns about neglect, abuse and discrimination, but was horrified by reports of disabled persons who had been killed by law enforcement officers and homeowners. "As my son got older, I kept having the realization, 'That could be my son!'" Espenschied explained. "That is when I felt I had to do something to help everyone see disabled persons. The people who had killed disabled persons felt that they were protecting themselves or others, when in reality, they did not see the disability, with tragic results."

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Awareness and Advocacy
See the Disabled Corporation is reaching out to individuals, businesses and public entities to help them share their logo and message. "We want our little 'seeing sun' to be ubiquitous on websites, social feeds, billboards, car windows — everywhere," Espenschied said. He explained that all tax-deductible donations help See the Disabled Corporation to buy space on billboards and websites, as well as to produce logoed stickers, clothing, etc.

One of the barriers that organizations and individuals encounter in acknowledging disabled persons and their caregivers is their suspicions about the legitimacy of the disability. See the Disabled Corporation would like to advocate for a permanent solution to this challenge in addition to its work for general awareness of persons with disabilities and their caregivers.

"Beyond any other ideas, the message is to be friendly to everyone," Espenschied said. "It makes such a difference when people greet or interact with my son instead of pretending we are not there."

To learn more about See the Disabled Corporation and its work to raise awareness of persons with disabilities and their caregivers, visit www.seedisabledpersons.org.

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ABOUT SEE THE DISABLED CORPORATION
Our primary goal with "See Disabled Persons" is to bring visibility to persons with all types of disabilities through advertising and social media interaction. In addition to raising awareness and improving interactions with disabled persons at the individual level, See the Disabled Corporation is committed to outreach to public-facing businesses and government services about changing their policies to accommodate persons with all types of disabilities in addition to persons with physical disabilities.

For Images or More Information:
Mark Espenschied
President
See the Disabled Corporation
mespenschied@seedisabledpersons.org
949.246.2531
www.seedisabledpersons.org