(Join me in welcoming my friend, playwright, and all around funny guy Ben Fort today as he shares about the role laughter plays in a family affected by special needs. And be sure to check out his bio at the end, and head over to his current project to see how to get involved. Thanks Ben!)

Laughter and the special needs family

When I think about growing up with a brother with special needs, I don’t automatically think of difficult times. Sure, my family has had our share of trials, but I tend to remember the funny stories. I think this is my parents’ doing- they frequently used humor to bring us all together.

Bathroom Humor and the special needs family

A childhood illness left my brother Joe unable to walk and talk as well as the rest of us.  As a child, he also took a while to use the restroom. This could have been seen as an inconvenience, but Mom had a weird idea – maybe laughter would make things easier.

And thus my comedy career began as a bathroom humor specialist. It was not my finest work, usually consisting of dumb jokes, dancing with the dog, and my Steve Urkel impression. I don’t know if my routines actually sped up the process, but Mom was right. Laughter made things easier.

Mad Libs and the special needs family

When Mom read to us at night, it was Boxcar Children. But when it was Dad’s turn, we’d do Mad Libs. For those unfamiliar, Mad Libs are brief stories with blanks that have to be filled in. Dad would go around the room and ask each of us for a noun or adjective or verb, including Joe.

The rest of us carefully responded with what we thought was comic gold, while Joe would say one of the few signs he knew at the time. Since Mad Libs is random, Joe’s responses ended up being just as funny as ours.  Mad Libs made us equal.

It’s easy to focus on what you can’t do as a special needs family – like go on certain outings or vacations, but Dad embraced what we could all do together. It was things like Mad Libs that kept life from being “us” versus Joe.  It was all one big “us.”

The Swedish Chef and the special needs family

When you grow up laughing together, it continues into adulthood. Joe and I love making each other laugh. We recently watched The Muppets, and now he thinks the Swedish Chef is hilarious. My Swedish Chef impersonation isn’t great- but he cracks up every time I do it.

I thought I was being funny when I got Joe a Swedish Chef shirt for Christmas. Little did I know Joe was sending me this framed picture:

 Joe wins.

It’s easy to discount the power of laughter. It can seem like a trivial thing that’s not worth actively pursuing as a family. I get self-conscious sometimes about writing comedy because it just doesn’t feel like a noble endeavor.

But when I think about my family, I remember that humor can bring people together.  And in a world where so many things divide us, that’s a wonderful thing.

Ben Fort studied writing at the famous Second City in Chicago, after earning a B.A. in Family Psychology from Oklahoma Baptist University. He is the co-founder of Six Hour Short Productions.

Ben and his writing partner Jason Gallagher are currently raising funds through a 30 day Kickstarter to record 12 songs from their original comedy musical, The Lockout: A Musical, for a Fall 2013 production in Chicago. The Lockout has already grabbed the attention of ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott, whose Truehoop article attracted a call from an NBA executive who offered some additional material for the show.

The Lockout: a Musical is Ben’s third play (and third comedy), along with Room for Cream and Chester and the Unbearable Burden, Parts I and II (both of which he directed). He has written original songs for Chester (etc), An Overhead Project, Sketches with Wolves, and Live From New York: It’s Spring Affair!, and served as music director for An Overhead Project and Action:Rxn.

Ben lives in Ypsilanti, MI, with his wife and best friend Bethany, who is pursuing her Masters degree in children’s Literature.

Want to help Ben with his Kickstarter? HEAD HERE RIGHT NOW!