We were lucky to catch up with Deb Wiebrecht recently and have shared our conversation below.

Deb, appreciate you joining us today. Have you ever experienced a times when your entire field felt like it was taking a U-Turn?

When first joining Variety the Children’s Charity of Greater Kansas City, our focus was to provide equipment for children with Special Needs, and their families. Generally equipment not covered by insurance.

Over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that barriers call for more than adaptive equipment. The biggest barriers for people with some form of disability (just over 25 percent of the population) are barriers to inclusion.

Instead of limiting our efforts to providing adaptive bikes, communication devices, and other mobility equipment – we began building inclusive venues and advocating for inclusive opportunities.

In 2023, Kansas City will be opening the most inclusive airport in the country, with Variety KC as a partner. We’ve build a simulator room to help children on the autism spectrum or other cognitive disabilities to prepare for their trip. Variety KC has also built a sensory room with low noise and lighting and soft materials – a place to decompress before or after a stressful adventure. And, we’re offering an inclusive play area where all kids can play together. Best of all, the airport offers adult changing tables to provide dignity for those needing assistance in toileting. (We aren’t afraid to tackle the topics that most folks avoid. The fact is, families with a member requiring toileting assistance rarely leave their homes for more than 90 minutes.) All these efforts encourage families who might not travel, to explore the world beyond their home communities. There’s even a selfie-station so kids can show their friends where they traveled! Proud to be included!

The new airport will welcome 14 million travelers annually and encourage them to explore our city filled with inclusive parks and playgrounds, art and theatre venues, world class zoo, and inclusive sports fields for any sport – from outdoor power soccer to adaptive ice hockey.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m the Executive Director of Variety KC, a not for profit serving children with special needs and their families. We do this through direct gifts of adaptive, mobility, and communication equipment. We also serve on a large scale by building totally inclusive, not just adaptive, playgrounds, parks, ball fields and more. Our #inclusionrevolution is driving the effort to make Kansas City the most inclusive community in the country. We partner with professional sports venues, and all city properties (including the KC Zoo.) one of my proudest moments was when the city passed a law requiring any new city property to have a restroom with an adult size changing table.

We are proud to introduce and innovate “first ever” projects, such as a therapy building with a harness system to safely transport kids, allowing therapists to service more than one child at a time. We have harness coffee shops in schools, allowing students in wheelchairs to stand and use both arms. Our outdoor power soccer surface is the first ever in a sports complex, and partnering with the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts to make their world class facility inclusive was a highlight of my career.

Variety KC believes every child should Be Active, Be Social, and Belong – we do whatever possible to make sure that happens.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Word of mouth. Building a network of physicians, therapists, and medical professionals who work with children with special needs daily.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Compassion. Truly empathisizing with the children and families we serve.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.VARIETYKC.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varietychildrenscharity/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/varietykc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/variety-kc/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VarietyKC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/varietykc