Wesley Hamilton
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When it comes to leading a happy life, finding the ideal solutions for your own health and well-being can understandably seem like a challenge – and this is something that Wesley Hamilton, as a professional philanthropist, entrepreneur, and student of life understands better than most. Indeed, throughout his career, he’s always been passionate about helping as many people as possible find their id
As a philanthropist and entrepreneur in Kansas City, I have to be honest about something our ecosystem is getting wrong.
We pour millions into initiatives meant to strengthen our community, and I am genuinely grateful for that investment. But when it comes to the disabled community, most of that funding stops at childhood. Inclusive playgrounds. Youth programs. Adaptive recreation for kids.
And then what?
Children with disabilities become adults with disabilities. Yet the infrastructure we build for them quietly disappears the moment they outgrow the swing set. Vocational rehab cannot be the only bridge from youth programming to a full adult life.
Eleven years ago, I founded Disabled but Not Really. We have served hundreds of adults with disabilities through programming that measurably improves quality of life. We have been featured on Netflix's Q***r Eye. I was nominated as a CNN Hero. And in eleven years, our city has not invested in this work.
Meanwhile, I watch new dollars flow into youth development, and I keep asking the same questions:
What happens to those kids at 22?
Why is the workforce still largely closed to disabled adults?
Why does our benefits system still punish people for trying to build a fuller life?
These conversations are not happening here, and that is the problem. Funding one chapter of a person's life isn't equity.
I am not asking for funding. I am asking Kansas City to look past the headlines and see what is actually being built, and what is being left behind.
Most people wake up and stand without ever thinking about it… no second thought, no preparation, no effort. For me, it’s different.
Standing is something I have to choose. Something I have to commit to. Something I have to work for.
Every time I get into this stander, I’m reminding myself that the things people take for granted are the very things I’m fighting to experience again. It’s not always comfortable, it’s not always easy, but it’s necessary for my body, for my mind, for my future.
Thirty minutes to an hour of just standing… and in that time, I’m building discipline, strength, and a deeper level of gratitude.
This is what commitment looks like when you don’t have a choice but to be intentional.
Catching Up
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