Thirty Years of KOB Puppets - Mark remembers the beginning
Category: Life

Hi,



I'm Mark Riley.  I turn 30 this year!  Well, me and my friends, The Kids on the Block Puppets turn 30 this year!  (We all look GREAT for our age.)

For me, it started back when this law was passed in the U.S. US Public Law 94-142, which required that children with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment. For many children, that meant being included in their neighborhood classrooms with their peers for the very first time.

See, this special education teacher wanted to help her students in their new classrooms.  And that's why I was "born."   After I taught that first group of fifth graders about cerebral palsy and my wheelchair, I got to take my show on the road with my friends Melody, Renaldo, Brenda and a bunch more.

I've met kids from all fifty states in the U.S., all over Canada and in lots of countries around the world.  And I always tell everybody I meet that even though we're all different on the outside, on the inside we're all pretty much alike!

If you want to share something about the time you met me and my friends, send us a message or drop on by The Kids on the Block Clubhouse.

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