THE “COMEDIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT” TOUR ROLLS INTO NAPA Thursday Feb. 27 at Bui Bistro’s Comedy Night @ Bui Bistro

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tim Wolcott
Tel. 707-337-8582
Email: timwolcott79@gmail.com

THE “COMEDIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT” TOUR ROLLS INTO NAPA Thursday Feb. 27 at Bui Bistro’s Comedy Night @ Bui Bistro.

A blind man. A stuttering woman. A wheelchair user. A little person. While this may sound like a description of a support group, it is, in fact, the lineup for the “Comedians with Disabilities Act”, a comedy tour that the San Francisco Examiner called “The most unconventional comics to pop up in 2011”. Made up entirely of performers with different disabilities, the troupe is bringing their “special” brand of humor to Comedy Night @ Bui Bistro, hosted by local comedian Tim Wolcott, on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7pm.

The foursome, all of them working northern California comedians, met each other through the comedy club circuit and decided to band together to treat audiences to a unique and unforgettable experience.

“Lots of able-bodied comedians out there tell blind or wheelchair jokes and get the audience to laugh AT people with disabilities,” said Michael O’Connell, the group’s wheelchair representative and founder of the troupe. “But wouldn’t it be more fun for the crowd, we thought, to be invited to laugh WITH people with disabilities instead? That’s guilt-free fun right there.”

Since their first sold-out show in Sacramento, the group has been in growing demand, getting booked at such lauded venues as the Laugh Factory in Hollywood and San Francisco’s Punch Line comedy club. Their comedy comes from the lifetime of experiences each has had due to their individual challenges. They see the tour as not only a chance to entertain, but to educate people on disability issues.

“We’re all comedians first,” said Napa native Steve Danner who identifies as a Little Person, “and it’s a comedy show. But who says you can’t make people laugh and send them home with something to think about too?”

Danner’s comedy career began as an audience member at a club. The comedian on stage that night decided to have some fun at his expense, and Danner’s skills in heckling back at him led the comic to approach Danner after the show and suggest he give comedy a try. He did so, and soon began a career as a prolific comedian and producer, delighting crowds at clubs and comedy rooms all over the west coast with hysterical tales centered heavily on his dwarfism. His comic journey keeps him on the road much of the time, but as Danner is fond of saying, “Shrimpin’ ain’t easy!”.

Michael O’Connell was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at two years old and began using a wheelchair in 1995. But it wasn’t until years later that a friend dared him to try doing comedy at an open mic night at a Sacramento club, and after ending up winning the competition that first night on stage, he never looked back. He’s played comedy clubs from Seattle to L.A. (including the Hollywood Improv and the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club), been featured in newspapers and on radio and television, and counts several Hollywood celebrities among his fans. His business card reads “100% Comedy, 0% Stand-Up”.  Michael is unable to attend this show but you can check out his comedy at http://www.michaeloconnell.com/michaelocomedy.

Sacramento’s Eric Mee was only eighteen years old when, while protecting a young child, he was stabbed in the chest. Complications resulting from his injury led to the loss of his eyesight. Choosing not to let this drastic life change get him down, he began joking about his condition and giving speeches to groups that were always filled with humor. After many suggestions, he turned his talents to stand-up comedy, and now brings his manic energy and outrageous tales to the stage, both at clubs and college campuses.

Touting herself as “the America’s only female comedian who stutters”, Nina G. hails from the Bay Area and has spent a lifetime dealing with both speech and learning disability issues. A key note speaker and disability advocate, Nina turned her talents to the stand-up stage to help raise disability awareness through comedy, and performs her award-winning work at some of the industry’s hottest clubs (the Hollywood Improv and the San Francisco Punchline) and has shared the stage with some of its biggest names (Dave Chappelle).

The Comedians with Disabilities Act will be joined by special guests Steve Lee and Queenie TT.   Steve Lee, a Hong Kong native, originally came to the US as an exchange student.  His comedy integrates his experiences as a first generation Asian American with a disability.  Queenie is a motivational speaker and a body esteem educator with lymphedema.  Combining comedy with motivational speech, Queenie empowers women to make healthier choices for their lives by embracing the power of self-love.

The show will be hosted and produced by local standup comic, Tim Wolcott. Tim started his standup career in 2003 while attending Pacific Union College, where he also helped form the improv/sketch comedy group, Desperate 4 Attention. After a few years of the journeyman comic life, living in Los Angeles and Tampa, Tim returned to St. Helena’s restaurant scene and the San Francisco/Bay Area comedy scene in 2009. He has since performed at venues all over the bay area, including at San Francisco’s historic Purple Onion.  Tim began producing his own shows in June of 2013, at La Condesa in St. Helena.  This will be the second show he’s produced at Bui Bistro, a French/Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Napa.  The show begins at 7pm and has no cover.

If you’d like more information on this event, or to schedule interviews with any of the comedians please contact Nina G at NinaGbooking@gmail.com or Tim Wolcott at timwolcott79@gmail.com.

 

What’s so Funny After 50?

Event Date:

Friday, February 7, 2014 – 20:00 to 22:00

Dan St. Paul’s “What’s So Funny After 50?” comes to the Pacific Pinball Museum for one night only!   Friday February 7th at 8pm

Aging happens to everybody, but when it happens to comic Dan St. Paul, it’s hilarious. Upon reaching the half century mark, St. Paul had a series of revelations about his body (“I’m a cylinder now. I can wear a belt anywhere on my body.”); his faulty memory (“I have eight pairs of reading glasses and I have no idea where they are.”); and dealing with his teenage son (“I have a bumper sticker that says ‘My Son’s Just Getting By At Hillsdale High’).

Now he has packed his cleverest reflections on going gray into “What’s Funny After 50?” Turns out, getting old has given this former opener for Jerry Seinfeld some of his best material ever. Comedy-lovers from their teens to their golden years will enjoy this solo show.

Dan is a veteran of San Francisco comedy.  After a seven year stint of headlining San Francisco clubs in the comedy duo Murphy-St. Paul, Dan launched his own solo act that was to land him in the finals of the nation’s toughest comedy competition, The San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition.

Soon after, Dan moved to Los Angles and appeared on several episodes of “An Evening at the Improv.” Plus numerous shows on VH-1, MTV and Comedy Central.  Since then, he has opened for such superstars as Jerry Seinfeld, Natalie Cole, and Smokey Robinson.

Comedy and Pinball for a Cause, a show produced by comedian Nina G, brings Dan St. Paul to Alameda for a special one night only performance at the Pacific Pinball Museum on Friday, February 7.  Proceeds from the show will go to the Pacific Pinball Museum, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.  Learn more about the museum and its mission and cultural events at www.Pacificpinball.org.

The shows begins at 8 p.m..  Show will contain adult content. Tickets are $15 and available at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-so-funny-after-50-comedy-at-ppm-tickets-10044161357

Nina G’s book helps individuals with Learning Disabilities

Oakland, California— Nina G knows first hand what it means to meet the challenges of having a Learning Disability.  Diagnosed in third grade as well as having a stutter, she has met the academic as well as personal challenges as person with a disability.  Nina is considered the only female stuttering stand up comedian in the world and is also a disability awareness educator.  She uses humor as a tool for activism and education. 

Nina passes her knowledge onto readers in the new book Once Upon an Accommodation: A Book About Learning Disabilities.  Her book is a soft cover with illustrations by comedian/musician Mean Dave.   The latest edition of the book includes a workbook to help the reader better understand their particular needs and how to advocate for them.

“Many adults and children are diagnosed with Learning Disabilities (LDs) but don’t know what that means for them.  They are expected to understand what their LD is, why they need accommodations and then advocate for themselves,” says Nina.  “With all the excellent help I received as a kid from supportive parents and teachers, I don’t think I really understood my LD until my early 20s!”

Nina attempts to demystify what it means to have a LD in terms of the diagnosis but also explains what an accommodation is and why people with LD receive them.  She states, “most people with and without disabilities are not taught about the histories of people with disabilities.  As a result they don’t know how this history is connected to civil rights laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Some powerful activists fought for my right as a person with LD and I want kids with LD and adults who are newly diagnosed to understand this!”

Although the book is written so children can understand it, adults can also benefit from Once Upon an Accommodation’s story and campy humor.  Many books about LD are difficult for children and even adults with Learning Disabilities to read.  Once Upon an Accommodation was designed to address multiple modes of learning.  The writing and illustrations are simple to understand while also conveying complex information.

Once Upon an Accommodation helps people of every age understand the process of being diagnosed with LD, why accommodations are needed and why advocacy is some important.  Nina explains, “it is my hope that this is not only read by kids but also by parents, family members, teachers, and helping professionals so that they understand the context of what having an LD means.”  Nina helps the reader see what it means to have a LD and to be part of a larger disability community.

Nina G is currently living in Oakland, California.  Nina is a humorist who performs with The Comedians with Disabilities Act who bring disability awareness to night club and college audiences through comedy.  She is also an educator and disability activist educating people through workshops, keynote addresses, and trainings.  Workshop topics include universal design in teaching, disability awareness, and humor as a coping strategy. 

Once Upon an Accommodation was published by Create Space and is also available through Amazon.com.  Link to purchase: https://www.createspace.com/4173946.  Contact your local bookstores and libraries to request that they include it in their collection. 

Become a fan of Once Upon an Accommodation at http://www.facebook.com/onceuponanaccommodation.

There is also an effort to get Once Upon an Accommodation into the hands of children at schools and agencies.  To donate go to www.gofundme.com/LDhumor. 

Learning to Stutter: What I learned from being bullied by a 7 year old

At the end of my sixth grade year I ran for student government.  The office I ran for was “religious affairs officer” that I would serve during my seventh grade year.  The tasks of the religious affairs officer was to collect mission money and say the morning prayer at assembly.  My primary goal in school was to always get out of class and collecting mission money was a pious manipulation to spend at least 1-2 hours a week outside of classroom.  Time occupied outside of the classroom is always a plus a student with a Learning Disability.  Since I stuttered, the morning prayer wouldn’t be a problem either because most people who stutter do not stutter when they recite a poem or speak in unison with a group.  The speech I constructed for the election campaign excluded all words that I thought I would stutter on with sentences constructed to reduce any chances of stuttering. When I won the election I didn’t know what other speaking situations would be forced on me because the pre-planning of an 11 year old isn’t very good.  I won the election although there was some objection to me winning.  The candidate I ran against objected because she felt that I bribed the grammar school constituents by handing out Tootsie Roll suckers with my name on them.  I drove a competitive campaign.

The next academic year, the new student council needed to be sworn in.  It being a Catholic school, and taking itself much too seriously, over celebrated with a ritual.  During the initial rehearsal for the inauguration, Ms. Casquera lined us up on stage to run through the ceremony.  In spite of it being the mid-1980s, Ms. Casquera looked like the square villainess from a retro Frankie and Annette beach movie .  Polyester blue suit, comfortable nun-like shoes, dark loose fitting nude pantyhose, a dyed black bouffant hairdo and, to top it off, cat eyed glasses.  I remember once staring at her during a windy lunchtime recess.  Garbage was blowing everywhere, but the wind could not penetrate her beehive hairdo.  Not one hair was out of place!  Even though she sounds like she would be potentially awful, she was actually ok in the quiet sort of way.

 

During the rehearsal, I learned that each student had to state, “I (insert name here)” before reading the oath in unison.  Of course no one had a problem with their name.  When it came to me I naturally stuttered on Nina.  The combination of the “I” before my name along with my name made it a stutterpalooza.  You should understand that most of us people who stutter, stutter on our own names.  There is no substitute for our name, unless we straight up change it, which some of us might to from time to time.  But this wasn’t a Starbucks order where I could slyly say my name is Enid instead of Nina.  I had to say “I Nina G.”  When I stuttered in the rehearsal it resulted in laughter for the mostly 7th and 8th graders who were there “leadership qualities”.  What really pissed me of was that one of the girls laughing had a very mild stutter.  Apparently, there was no solidarity in the stuttering dog eat stuttering dog world of the middle school during the 1980s.  Ms. Casquera attempted to intervene by telling the students to shut up, but it didn’t work.  I left feeling defeated.

 

There was one of my fellow student representatives who didn’t laugh like the others.  He was in the 8th grade and tended to be on the hyperactive side (I have always connected to hyperactive men and boys.  The potential to get into trouble with them is just too wonderfully overwhelming!).  I remember that same year this boy dressed like a 1970s Fat Elvis in a white jumpsuit and tiny toy guitar which I saw as evidence of his integrated weirdness, which I was impressed with.  The rest of the year I called him Elvis, thus forgetting his name forever, so from here on out he will be referred to as “Elvis”.  After rehearsal, Elvis approached me and asked, “can you say ninja?  Because if you can say ninja, you just switch it over to Nina instead.”

 

When you stutter, or have any kind of disability, suddenly everyone becomes an expert on your type of disability.  Advice like “just slow down and breath” is common and recommended with great hope that this will be the solution to all your problems, making them your abled bodied savior.  Gee, I guess I NEVER thought of slowing down when talking and this entire time I guess I have not been breathing! (Really, breathing?)  There was even the time when I educated a psychologist about stuttering.  I explained to him that it is a brain based disability in the left frontal-temporal hemisphere.  I went on to share that Marilyn Monroe stuttered which was why she talked in her whispery-sexy voice.  I demonstrated it as well.  His reply? “That is very sexy, maybe you should talk like that all the time.”  Really Mr. Dr. Psychologist?  Because people will take me much more serious if I talked like a baby!  Way to empower women! That’s ok, I think I’d rather stutter.

 

At the time though, the advice coming from this 8th grade Elvis boy was actually ok.  He was attempting to be an ally where I thought I didn’t have one.  Plus he was kinda cute.  Funny how that can get you a pass, even on shitty speech therapy advice.  I did appreciate his attempt to help and I felt that I had at least one friend.

 

All that week I practiced my name alone in my room.  I practiced it with my parents who even drove me an hour away so I could practice my name in front of my speech therapist.  It is funny that my parents would let me take a sick day at a moment’s notice but never introduced this as an option for the inauguration ceremony.  Instead it was assumed that I would attend and participate.

 

Finally the day of the inauguration came.  All the student body officers were in their school uniforms and wearing white gloves to convey the formality of the event.  The program started with the student officers sitting on stage with all the girls crossing their legs at the ankle as instructed.  We sat across the stage from the principal, Sister Theresa, Ms. Casquera and the parish priests.  The entire school was in attendance as well as some interested parents and the local newspaper.  You would have thought it was the frickin’ Kennedys being sworn in!

 

The ceremony started with the priest saying an opening prayer.  We then proceeded to the oath where each of had to say “I (insert name here).”  Again and again I practiced my name along with my speech techniques in my head.  It was my turn to say “I, Nina G” and I proceeded to stutter, “I N-N-Nina G.”  “Did I really do it?  Did I really just stutter on my own name?” I thought to myself.  In my seventh grade girl mind I knew my life was over.  That was it!  I would need to transfer schools, maybe even move.  I mean the newspaper was there!  I immediately saw the headline, “Girl stutters on her own name in front of entire school.”  Keep in mind, this was before the Upworthy website could turn my traumatized experience into a one sentence blurb to inspire people.

 

As I got off the stage I expected a repeat of the rehearsal where the other officers made fun of me except this time it would be times ten because I was exposed to the entire school.  That was when I walked by Sara, a girl from my class.  She said, “Nina, good job.”  I was a bit stunned.  I initially thought that she was being sarcastic, but then I realized that she was just being nice.  “That’s weird,” I thought (luckily Sara is now a teacher in the inner city!).

 

I proceeded with my day waiting for the next person to start making fun of me.  I had not yet had  recess so I was expecting I would get it then.  During recess I was talking to Elvis, the 8th grade boy when a second grader who had seen the older kids make fun of me approached us.  He came up to me and said, “Hey, N-N-Nina” as if to impress the older boy.  This is a comment I still get today.  Assholes of the world–please note, this is hack stuttering material!  Even if it is in the tune of the Chia Pet jingle–I have heard and whatever I say back will sting ten times that.  If you want to make fun of me, come up with something new.  This time was different than the 7 million other times I was made fun of because Elvis did something I had never seen.  He gently knelt down to look the second grader in the eye.  He told him, “If I ever hear you say anything like that again, I am going to tell everyone that your penis is this big” and indicated with his thumb and pointer finger half an inch.

 

Naturally, I thought, “this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!”  I don’t think anyone ever stuck up for me, besides my parents, before this point.  I always had to deal with assholes, big and small, on my own.  My friends never said anything when I was made fun of, especially in middle school where kids didn’t want to stick out their neck in opposition to group think.  This was a truly exceptional moment in the life of a seventh grade girl.  How does a girl process this event?  She has a crush on the boy for the rest of the year, and maybe even researches where he might be when she is in her 30s and single (can’t find him since I don’t know his name).

 

Besides harboring affection for this individual, I learned some important things that day.  The first is that I learned that I could stutter and live.  Before that day, I thought that I had to be fluent and there were no other options.  My speech difficulties are not severe but it is significant enough that if I chose to let it stop me, people might rationalize that this was ok for me.  In fact, it has stopped me from answering questions in groups, flirting and at times ordering at a fast food drive through window.  Stuttering in front of my entire school was the first time that I experienced that I could stutter in front of others and it could be ok.  I am sure it was difficult for my parents to allow me to participate in the ceremony, but they did and I am thankful to have had this experience.

 

The second thing I learned was that I had allies outside my parents and a few wonderful speech therapists and tutors.  My peers could be allies because they had my back.  I didn’t have to be the one who always stuck up for myself.  You really don’t know what this feels like until it happens to you.  It is a shock to know you are not alone in this way and since this time I have sought allies, although it has sometimes been a struggle to remind myself that this can be an expectation to have in a relationship.

 

Lastly, I learned something else that day about comedy.  If anyone, and I mean anyone, makes fun of me.  I do what Elvis taught me that day.  Tell them they “have a small penis.”  And no matter how touching and life changing a story might be, be a good comedian and end with dick joke!

Picture of the ceremony.

What Bombing as a Comedian Has to do with Having a Learning Disability

What Bombing as a Comedian Has to do with Having a Learning Disability

Today I was the guest blogger for The Mobility Resource!  Please check out what I wrote.  If you want more on learned helplessness, you might want to check out what I wrote a few days ago.  

Nina G: The Stand-Up Comedian Who Also Stutters

Nina G: The Stand-Up Comedian Who Also Stutters

I have met some new people, thanks to blogging.  Someone asked me how I got involved doing comedy, especially being one of two stuttering female stand up comedians in the WORLD.  Here is part of my story.  

What counting cards in math class taught me about learned helplessness

My relationship with math was pretty complicated in my public high school.  They placed me in the most basic math class because of my test scores, even though I had pre-algebra two years prior in seventh grade (I don’t test well and test even less well when I don’t receive accommodations).  I was kind of scared of the kids in my Math Skills 1 class, some of whom would come to school with their juvenile hall sweatshirt that they acquired the weekend before.  This was a change from my Catholic school the year previously.  Juvinelle hall shirts would only be allowed on free dress days, and only if worn with a collared shirt.  Needless to say I felt out of place although I did feed the Middle Eastern kid I sat next to, Italian swear words to ask the teacher who had an Italian surname and bushy eyebrows so I wasn’t completely alone.

Somehow I managed to get out of the track of classes I was in and in junior year found myself in geometry.  When I asked my school counselor if I could skip Math Skills 2 to advance math classes she explained, “yes you can because there is a law called the ‘right to fail’ law.  It says that you can take a class if you want to because you have the right to fail it.”  Subsequently, she added to Geometry.  Luckily, I had seven and a half years of Catholic school education where most of the teachers reflected the same attitude so I knew she was full of shit.

With my counselor’s vote of nonconfidence, I entered the class.  On the first day the teacher had us sit in alphabetical order which meant that my desk was in the last row.  I knew that because of my language based Learning Disability I needed to sit in the front of the class.  One of the many features of my LD is auditory processing problems.  Sometimes my language processing is much like Charlie Brown’s when his teacher talks to him ( I hear “wa-wa-wawawa”).  It helps to be in the front so that I can focus on the person’s speech, their intonation, body gestures, what they are writing on the board and screen out the cute boy three rows away or the horrible outfit that the girl in the front row is wearing.  It is common for students with auditory processing issues to request that they sit in the front row as an accommodation.  Knowing that this has been recommended by my educational specialists and special ed teachers for as long as I had been diagnosed, I requested a seat change from my teacher, Mr. Cooper.  He explained that my last name began with G and therefore I belonged in the back row of the class.  I protested and tried to advocate with no avail and remained in the last row.

Knowing that I would have a difficult time because of my seat placement and topic, I pursued other interests in class.  Geometry was right before lunch which meant I had the lunch money that my mom gave to buy my corn dog, Duritos and Diet Coke.  With $5 in hand, I engaged in a card game that we had most days in class.  The guys in the back row would sneak a card game of Blackjack and we would bet money.  Always a jinx, I lost my lunch money most of the days and would have to bum food off my friends.  That term I received a D on my report card but was introduced to counting cards.

The next school term students added and dropped the class, changing the seating arrangements.  I ended up sitting in the first row-exactly where I had previously advocated for.  I consciously made an effort that term.  I attentively listened, took notes and would go to my resource teacher to get extra help.  For those who don’t know, the resource room is where many students who have LD or other kinds of disabilities receive services as part of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  I actually worked pretty hard that term and my resource teacher, Ms. Rumsey knew I was putting in the effort.

In the weeks to come, Mr. Cooper was passing back our tests.  He would obnoxiously announce whoever got a B+ or higher–”Ethan got an A—Heather got an A-.”  Teachers, if you want to add a layer of stratification and intellectual snobbery in your class, be sure to do this technique!  This practice resulted in me was calling the A students nerds under my breath and manipulating it in my head that they were less cool.  That was all until one day.  Mr. Cooper was handing back tests and for the first time he announced “and Nina got an A-.” I was in disbelief!  And this wasn’t the kind of literary disbelief that read about in Jane Austen books.  It was not internally based–it was a very outward kind of disbelief.  I verbally protested, “are you sure it was my test?  What do you think of that Mr. Cooper?”  He seemed to quickly move onto the next A test.

I was so excited that I ran to the resource room as soon as class let out.  I found Ms. Ramsey and showed her the A-.  I explained, “I got an A- on the test!  I am pretty sure that it is because I prayed to God and he answered my prayers.”  Hey! I was coming out of Catholic school–what did you expect?!  This was when Ms. Ramsey went off on me.  She yelled at me.  It was probably the first time and only time a special education teacher ever yelled at me, “Listen! You worked really hard for this grade.  You have been coming to my classroom a lot and I know you know this material.  It wasn’t God, it was your hard work.”  I replied somewhat disappointed, “ya, I know.”

I could not think of a more better response from Ms. Ramsey (ya, I know that this is bad grammar, even for me, but this feels like the best way to say it).  I did something successfully and she rubbed my nose in it.  You have to understand something about having a Learning Disability.  Part of your experience having a LD is that there are so many times in your school life that you try and then fail.  This happens again and again that you eventually stop trying.  That is what I did when I was losing my lunch money in the back of class.  I gave up on trying to do well because it felt like there were too many factors against me.  Then when I did attempt and I succeeded, I attributed the success not to my own abilities but to something outside myself.  This is Special Ed Psychology 101 kind of shit.  What happened was I suffered from learned helplessness (trying and failing, so eventually stopped trying).  When I did succeed it was attributed to an external locus of control.  It was something outside of me–God (because my Geometry test is right up there on God’s to-do-list).  It might also be attributed to luck or “that test is easy” kind of thinking.  What Ms. Ramsey did was make sure that I knew that the test was attributed to my underdeveloped internal locus of control (I did it because I had the skills and knowledge).

When working with kids and even adults with Learning and Attentional Disabilities it is good to keep learned helplessness in mind.  When training teachers I will often ask them, “if you worked at a job where most of the day capitalized on things that were challenging for you, would you stay in that job?  Then what do you think the experience is for your students with Learning Disabilities?”  Structuring classrooms or other learning environments so that success can be felt in very real ways is important.  I am not advocating to just give the kid an A because they showed up.  They will know you are full of shit and this adds to no ones self-esteem.  Instead work with individuals with LD to figure out the best ways to reach them and accommodate them.  It is also important that students feel that they have something they are invested in.  Taking a kid out or sports or drama because their GPA slips under a 2.0 can often be classified as bullshit.  If the kid is trying, making improvements, and attempting to the address the issue, then why take away the one thing that they enjoy and feel invested in.  Parents and teachers might consider advocating for a waiver as part of a 504 plan or IEP.  Having something you are invested in that you do well will help to break down the learned helplessness and hopefully be generalized to other aspects of the students life.

Picture from Once Upon an Accommodation: A Book about Learning Disabilities (I wrote it!).  Here the character Matt reflects on all the things he is good at.