Beyond the Label

Dear Society,

We heard you gave us a label.

We just never thought to wear it.

You see, we don’t really think of ourselves as disabled.

We think of ourselves as us.

We have things we love, things we can’t stand, things that make us laugh, things that make us uncomfortable, and things we absolutely refuse to eat.

Don’t you?

Some of us hear things better than we see them. Some of us need to touch something to understand it. Some of us communicate with words, pictures, technology, movement, or sounds.

Some of us use a little bit of everything.

We have senses for a reason. They’re how we explore the world, and we each figure out which ones work best for us.

We all have needs. We all have preferences. We all have our own ways of finding comfort, happiness, and connection.

Support helps us get there. Support is a good thing. It means someone’s got your back. We all appreciate that right?

And somewhere along the way, somebody decided that made us different.

Well, here’s what we’ve figured out.

Different isn’t the exception. It’s the rule.

Nobody experiences life exactly the same way.

So why are we spending so much time trying to make everyone fit the same mold?

We only get one life.

We’re going to spend ours finding what works, making choices, trying new things, loving what we love, and enjoying every opportunity we can.

We’re not pretending challenges don’t exist.

We’re just not letting them introduce us.

You can call us disabled, typical, special, different, or whatever else helps you organize the world.

But when we look at each other, we don’t see any of that.

We see people.

We see family.

We see friends.

We see us.

And when we look at you?

We see one of us, too.

Sincerely,

The Just Us Club

P.S. Whatever works. That’s kind of the point.

🐾💙 EVERYBODY, MEET BARRY! 💙🐾

We are SO excited to introduce you to our newest friend and Beyondthelabel Better Together Ambassador, Barry Blue Eyez! 🐶💙

Barry is a big, fluffy, lovable Old English Sheepdog with a HUGE personality, an even BIGGER heart, and a whole lot to say!

Oh, and did we mention Barry is deaf? 💙

He’s also a service dog, a professional cuddler, a snow-loving adventurer, and quite the communicator!

And that’s one of the many reasons we think Barry and Beyondthelabel are going to make such great friends!

Because Barry reminds us that having a voice doesn’t always mean making a sound!

And boy, does Barry know how to communicate! 😂

🧀 Craving cheese? There’s a button for that!

🥓 Bacon, please! Yep, another button!

💧 Thirsty? Push the water button!

🦴 Treats? Of course there’s a button for those!

🔔 Ready to go outside? Ring the bells! Barry even has separate bells for going outside and heading onto the decks.

💡 Bedtime? He’s got a button for that too!

But our FAVORITE?

When Barry wants to play chase, he sneaks up behind his family and gives them a big ol’ BOOP with his nose! 😂

Translation: TAG! YOU’RE IT! 🏃🐾

Barry communicates with buttons, bells, body language, and a whole lot of personality.

And we can’t wait for you to get to know him!

Throughout our Better Together adventures, we’ll be sharing more about Barry, his favorite things, his incredible journey, and all the ways he reminds us that communication comes in many forms.

October is AAC Awareness Month, and we couldn’t think of a more wonderful time to welcome our new friend!

Because at Beyondthelabel, we believe everyone deserves to be heard, understood, and celebrated exactly as they are.

🐾 MORE CHOICES FOR VOICES!
💙 BETTER TOGETHER!

👇 NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!

Barry already has buttons for cheese, bacon, water, treats, and bedtime.

If you could give Barry ONE more button, what would it say?

🥓 MORE BACON!
🚗 ROAD TRIP!
❄️ LET IT SNOW!
❤️ CUDDLE ME!

Drop your vote below and help us welcome Barry to the Beyondthelabel family! 💙🐾

DeafDogs EveryVoiceMatters

Congratulations, Camp Connect for AAC

We are so excited to see you receive a grant from the Yavapai County Community Foundation! Your commitment to creating connection, and meaningful opportunities for individuals and families in our community makes such a difference.

We are grateful to work alongside organizations like yours that continue to show what is possible when a community comes together to support one another.

So well deserved congratulations from all of us at Beyondthelabel! 💙

Camp Connect for AAC has been supported by a Community Grant from the Yavapai County Community Foundation! We received funds to increase our accessible pathway and purchase some assistive technology for Camp 2027!

SEE ME | MEET JOSEPH

🍂 SEE ME | Meet Joseph 💙

Hi, I’m Joseph! 👋

Here’s something you should know about me right away:

I LOVE making people laugh. 😄

I have special jokes, sayings, routines, and little traditions with the people in my life. Sometimes my favorite part isn’t even the joke, it’s waiting for your reaction.

Did you laugh?
Did you smile?

Yep. That’s the good stuff. 😉

I’m caring, determined, fun-loving, and always up for trying something new.

And now my newest adventure is becoming a Beyondthelabel Ambassador!

Over the next few days, I’m going to let you get to know a little more about ME, what I love, what I do, how I communicate, and what Better Together means to me.

First question though…

What ALWAYS makes you laugh? 😂⬇️

Better Together what a legacy!!!

🍂 IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER FALL HOODIE DROP! 🍂

But this one is a little different… 👀

Can you guess what’s coming next?

Here’s a hint: you’re about to meet some pretty incredible people. ❤️

Our next hoodie drop is bringing you closer to the faces, personalities, voices and stories behind Beyondthelabel.

🍁 Meet the Ambassadors.
🍁 See who they are beyond the label.
🍁 And discover the hoodies they helped inspire.

Because this fall, we’re not just dropping hoodies.

We’re sharing WHO we are.

💗 Beyondthelabel Saturday

They say actions speak louder than words.

And sometimes… actions are the words.

A look.
A gesture.
A hug.
A smile.
Showing up.
Playing together. ❤️

We ALL communicate without words every single day.

How do YOU communicate nonverbally? 👇