The “Kids on the Block” puppets have lived for many years in Joan Burrows’ hall closet in her apartment on Elm Street. Labels sewn onto cloth storage bags indicate each puppet’s name. Some of the puppets have disabilities, visible or invisible; others are neurotypical friends who join conversations in skits and in improvised conversations. The puppets, and their new puppeteers, will be engaging in conversations with visitors this year at West Acton Oktoberfest.
Commission on Disability (COD, the Commission) member Joan Burrows recalled in an interview that she and others on the COD first started using the puppets in the late 80s and early 90s. Burrows and her husband Walter, who had muscular dystrophy and used a wheelchair, had co-founded the COD not long before, with other Acton residents. Burrows wrote about the puppets for the Acton Exchange in 2023. The Kids on the Block puppets were created in 1977 by Barbara Aiello of Pittsburgh and used nationally for education about disabilities.
The scripts for the puppets are now outdated and the original creators no longer hold a copyright on the characters and stories. With this new freedom to improvise, some members of the COD and ABRHS student volunteers have reawakened the puppets and performed with them at public events, including at a West Acton Oktoberfest celebration in 2021 and a Kelley’s Corner Block Party in September, 2022.
This year, the newest and youngest member of the COD, 26-year-old pre-med student Amanda Lodi, is bringing the puppets back to Oktoberfest. In a statement she wrote for the Acton Exchange, she explains her interest.
“After going through my own medical journey, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of what it means when your body works differently than expected. My time relying on disability systems showed me firsthand both the challenges and the importance of equitable support. That experience drives me to serve on the COD: to advocate for disability rights, raise awareness about what it truly means to live with a disability today, promote education, health literacy, and visibility.
“After speaking with Joan Burrows, I realized how critical it is to begin shaping perspectives early. Revamping the local kids program is one way to address misinformation at its roots and foster inclusion from a young age. While I am committed to supporting all of the COD’s missions, I feel especially honored to serve the people of Acton in this role. If we don’t advocate, educate, and build resources for these communities, then who will?”
Lodi’s goal at Oktoberfest is to find current AB students who want to volunteer to work with the puppets and bring them and their stories to local audiences once again.
Joan Burrows is still active on the Commission at age 94. Last week, two former members of the Commission visited her with one of the puppets in hand. Joan said she was thrilled the puppets are seeing the light of day again and waking up to the thrill of human conversation.
Franny Osman is Editor-in-Chief of the Acton Exchange and steps in to write as needed.
