If you’re familiar with stand-up comedy, you know that one of the best things about it is how comedians turn real-life challenges into something funny. That’s precisely what Nina G does. She has a stutter and dyslexia, and instead of hiding them, she uses them in her act, not just to get laughs, but to connect with people. For Nina, it’s also about something bigger: making sure people with disabilities are seen and heard in the world of arts and performance.
Part of that work involves the Comedians with Disabilities Act, a group Nina now helps produce. It was started in 2010 by Michael O’Connell, a Sacramento comedian known locally as “the wheelchair comedian.” O’Connell passed away in 2016 due to muscular dystrophy.
Spirit of inclusion
Although Michael passed away in 2016, his legacy lives on in places like the Sacramento Comedy Spot, where owner Brian Crall added a ramp to the stage to make the space more accessible and welcoming. This spirit of inclusion is something Nina carries forward in her own work.
For example, in early May, Nina G brought the Comedians with Disabilities Act to Sacramento’s VFW Post 67 on Stockton Boulevard.
Her comedy often touched on adult themes, with her stutter woven right into the jokes. At one show, she told the packed audience, “I don’t fake my stuttering.” Then she added with a smile, “If people would just stop interrupting me, I’d get my point across a lot faster.”
InnerVision Theater gathered
On a Tuesday afternoon in mid-May, the actors of InnerVision Theater gathered for rehearsal at the Wilkerson Theater in Sacramento’s R25 Arts Complex. Director Regina Brink kept the atmosphere light as she and nine actors moved around the stage and warmed up.
Brink joked that she was getting tired and asked how much longer practice would last. Stephanie Jones, an InnerVision member and Brink’s childhood friend, teased her by asking if she was lost. Brink replied with a smile that she was just blind, which made everyone laugh.
All the actors are blind or have low vision. Most arrived by paratransit, two brought service dogs, and many used white canes to move safely around the stage.
Groups like the Comedians with Disabilities Act and InnerVision Theater remind us just how powerful it can be when people with disabilities use their unique voices to raise awareness, with humor, courage, and heart. While Nina G herself isn’t autistic, her work shines a meaningful light on inclusion and representation, values that deeply resonate with the autism community.
Sacramento ABA Therapy
At Sacramento ABA Therapy Center, we are autism-focused in everything we do. We understand that every individual on the spectrum has their own way of seeing and expressing the world.
That’s why we’re committed to providing support that honors each person’s strengths, needs, and voice.
