About Call Me ABLE
Call Me ABLE is a 501c3 minority-owned non-profit organization that believes that no one should be defined based on their physical or cognitive challenges but based on their abilities. Our mission is to advocate, educate, and empower individuals with physical and cognitive challenges. We aim to shift the societal paradigm to rethink and reimagine a world that is inclusive of everyone. We guide children through mentorships with like-minded leaders and provide resources to support our youth. As an event-based non-profit, we complement other non-profits that support communities with physical and cognitive challenges. Join us in our mission to create a more inclusive world!
Our Story
Call Me ABLE was established by Bea and Joe Gaskins. It is a love story of a couple meeting and getting married… but this couple is not an ordinary couple. This is how the media would probably describe it: “Able body woman marries disabled-bodied man” but that is not how we define our love. Joseph Gaskins has been a paraplegic for the last thirty-seven (37) years. He is the result of a Friday the 13th misfortune. He was a victim of a hit-and-run driver, who fled the scene and was never apprehended. Joseph Gaskins is a true miracle for overcoming adversity and all of life’s challenges.
Joseph has reimagined and redefined disability to ABILITY. The ABILITY to make a difference and overcome the stigma and perception the world has projected. We want our story to be remembered as the couple that made a difference by reimagining and redefining “disability” and focusing on the “Ability” of our youth.
Call Me ABLE’s vision is to redefine and rethink the perception of disability within our community while empowering our youth to focus on their abilities and self-esteem, through advocacy, education, and mentorship. Call Me ABLE is committed to its core values of collaboration, inclusion, integrity, and leadership.
