In order to acknowledge and express their appreciation to students for their involvement in the Buddy Program, Break the Barriers (BTB) will be performing for students in upper elementary to high school at FC from 1:30- 2:30 p.m., March 21.

The performance will be held by a team from BTB known as The Barrier Breakers. The Barrier Breakers are an international traveling team that promote inclusion.

Executive Director Deby Hergenrader believes that the performing teams help show everyone’s abilities and disabilities.

“Our fully inclusive ‘Ability Awareness Outreach and Education’ team will use gymnastics, dance, martial arts, sign language, and activities involving students and teachers to show that everyone has ability and everyone has disability.” Hergenrader said.

Faculty staff at BTB and FC science teacher Dan Harris feels that one of BTB’s goals is to promote the integration of the disabled and the able body.

“We will see some high flying gymnastic tricks and some excellent dancing skills just to demonstrate that everyone has abilities.” Harris said. “That’s the whole purpose of BTB, to promote inclusion through excellently executed techniques in gymnastics and dance.”

Break the Barriers promotes Ability Awareness Assemblies around the world to promote inclusion. BTB has recently expanded it’s influence to India.

“Break the Barriers provides Ability Awareness Assemblies throughout our community, state, nation and around the world including Romania, China, S. Africa, Dominican Republic and most recently this past November in India.” Hergenrader said.

Harris explains how BTB promotes the inclusion of disabled communities.

“BTB makes sure there are no barriers between people simply because of what disabilities someone might have. BTB’s perspective is that everyone has abilities, and everyone has disabilities. Why do we treat someone who’s in a wheelchair as uniquely disabled or someone who has Down syndrome as special needs?” Harris said. “This team has people in it from all abilities. They work together and everyone is better because of it.”

BTB and FC have been connected ever since the buddy program started. Through the partnership FC has organized the Tim Tebow Inspire Gala.

“During the last year and a half FC and BTB have been forming a partnership,” Harris said. “This is partly because of the buddy program at BTB, where FC high school students get a chance to interact with people who are in special education classes at BTB, helping them with gymnastics, martial arts, dance and basketball.”

Harris believes that performing is another way of widening students’ perspectives at FC. Harris is proud of the way the students participated in the buddy program.

“I think this is a yet another opportunity to broaden the horizon of our students because the students here already have their hearts aimed in that direction.” Harris said. “This is a chance for them to see what that world is like. As we’ve seen from the Buddy Program already that the FC students have rose to the occasion and have fallen in love with this world of inclusion.”

For more news, check out BRIEF: Cheer, students to help promote ‘Gala’