Campaign aims to teach disability etiquette

Sunday is International Day of Persons With Disabilities and there is a campaign under way to raise awareness about creating a more inclusive society.

The We Are Able campaign is popping up in schools across Chicago. Eyewitness News Anchor Rob Elgas caught up the young man it to discuss his personal connection to the cause.

Eyewitness News Anchor Rob Elgas caught up the young man it to discuss his personal connection to the cause.

Griffen Saul is the founder of the We Are Able campaign. a movement he started in honor of his father.

"So even before I was born my father was diagnosed with advanced multiple sclerosis," said Saul. "So this was very effecting of my childhood because I wasn't able to play sports with him and go the park with him and the way that I coped with it was by working with people with disabilities. As I got to high school, he fell increasingly ill due to his disease and ended up passing away in my junior year on December 4, 2015. That was really a stake in the ground for me."

So he got to work creating a program to educate people on empathy and proper disability etiquette.

"Asking if a person needs help is a really big thing," Saul said.

Since the kick off in December 2015, hundreds have taken the pledge of equality.

"We have over 20 school participating and we are hoping to reach over a 1,000 people this year," Saul said.

Over this past week about 150 students at Whitney Young took the pledge. The school's group leader for We Are Able says it's all about leading by example.

"Make sure you can lead by example and show people I know this, I believe it and I'm proud of it and I know this is a great message that needs to be learned by everybody. I think it should be spread and everyone should have this knowledge," said Lauren Radomski, Whitney Young group leader of the We Are Able Campaign.

Griffen is already taking the first steps to expand the program nationwide. He is launching it at schools in Boston where he now goes to college.

For more information, visit https://www.weable.org.