DBNR FAQ

Disabled But Not Really is a 501(c)3 Not For Profit charity focused on bringing adaptive training and other lifestyle enhancements to people living with disability. We strive to give disabled individuals the toolsets they need to excel. Our motto is “don’t let your struggle be your identity.”

Years ago, a gunshot attack by a person he did not know left Wesley Hamilton bound to a wheelchair. While adjusting to his new life, he discovered the critical importance of physical fitness, mental health, and proper nutrition in empowering people living with disability to fully realize their purpose and potential. Wes founded DBNR in 2015 with the dedicated purpose of sharing these tools and strategies with others and to help ensure access for everyBODY.

Disabled But Not Really came to Wes after he had lost 100 lbs. It occurred to him that for all the wonderful work his doctors and care workers had done, their focus was on making him comfortable, not on making him fully capable. After taking ownership of his own health and fitness, Wes was convinced he could help others do the same. The word disabled carries a lot of societal perceptions. “Not really” aims to break the mold of what people perceive as the norm. Wes is a living example of Disabled But Not Really every day and he and DBNR work to inspire this mentality in others living with disability.  

Disabled But Not Really serves as a resource for both disabled individuals and the communities they inhabit. We have information and resource for people around the globe. We also work directly with athletes and their communities with the HelpMeFIt Challenge. We provide adaptive training to people living with disability and training in being adaptive to the communities in which they live.

There are approaching 61M people in the Unites States alone who are living with some form of disability. (That’s nearly 20%!) Of that number, there are an estimated 261,000 people who have experienced spinal cord injury. 

Disabled But Not Really offers a variety of project-by-project resources for companies, communities, and individuals looking to enhance their understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people in blended environments. We help promote, support, and train around a range of fitness programming for people with disability. HelpMeFit is a program focused on adaptive training for sponsored disabled athletes. We are now working with HelpMeFit Mobile, bringing a specialized mobile gym to disabled athletes in their communities. We will be building more of these mobile adaptive gyms to bring to other communities soon. Our ambitious goal is to build our own gym facility based on a new design that will promote a blended space where disabled athletes can seamlessly workout with their friends and family. Check out our fundraising initiatives.

DBNR believes there is a fitness model for everyBODY! Many of our athletes are in wheelchairs – for a number of reasons and stages of permanence. Several of our athletes do not have, or at least have use of, all four limbs, so we are accustomed to working around prosthetics and other required adaptations from traditional workouts. DBNR works to meet our clients where they live (literally when we can) and has experience adjusting our programming for people who learn and remember differently. Whatever the challenge, DBNR will work to try and meet it.

Disabled But Not Really is headquartered in Kansas City, MO. That is where we got our start and most of our on the ground work is naturally oriented towards the KC metro. That said, we do our best to serve athletes who reach out from around the nation and DBNR has specific relationships with coaches in other cities as well. Email us any specific questions about your situation or check out our list of additional resources that may be able to help.

DBNR has offered virtual services to athletes in the past. Our first goal would be to align an athlete with a dedicated coach in their city who can help keep them accountable. But, if that resource is not available, DBNR can occasionally provide virtual consultation and help in a remote setting, whether by Zoom, or by phone, email, etc. Get in touch and we can help evaluate your needs.

Disabled But Not Really is always looking for help. As is true for any charity, we are always fundraising and your donation will go a long way towards supporting our HelpMeFit athletes and programs and in building towards our vision of a DBNR inclusive gym model. If it’s time that you have, we are always interested in seeking corporate partnerships, as well as people who can serve as coaches and motivational support for the folks we serve in the disabled community. We will always find something you to do if you are interested in helping out.

DBNR thrives by creating a collaborative environment. Wes has a lot of personal experience to bring and we’ve been practicing DEI principles in professional environments for years, but we don’t know everything. If you have ideas to share, or information that you think would help us on our mission, please reach out today!