The Disabled but Not Really Foundation

CNN Heroes 2021 campaign

Nine years ago, Wesley Hamilton was shot by a stranger in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. The injury left Hamilton, then 24, paralyzed from the waist down. After falling into a deep depression, his young daughter inspired him to enroll in school and fully transform his body and mindset through nutrition and adaptive physical training. Inspired to help other people with disabilities do the same, he founded the nonprofit Disabled But Not Really. Since 2017, his organization has provided a personalized, adaptive physical training and nutrition program for more than 40 people with disabilities.

Read Wesley’s story on CNN 
Video: Disabled But Not Really 
Video Extra: Overcoming a lack of accessibility

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit The Disabled but not Really Foundation , and any donation will help make an impact. 

Our mission & vision:

Our mission is to instill in those with disabilities, a physically limitless mindset that breeds courage, confidence, and competence. Our core beliefs are in promoting fitness, providing the opportunity to become productive and self-serving while gaining the knowledge necessary for a living a nutritional lifestyle.

At Disabled But Not Really, we believe that our horizon is only as far as we accept it to be. Our vision is to create an environment where anyone with a disability can find a safe place for growth. We intend to develop facilities where not only our adaptive athletes can learn, grow, and thrive, but their families, spouses, and caregivers can as well.

 (DBNR) is inspiring a new generation of adaptive athletes, but we need your help to offer more scholarships. Our program, #HelpMeFitChallenge  (HMFC), brings in cohorts of students and transforms them into self-sufficient adaptive athletes. The HMFC 8-week sessions focus on improving nutrition, strengthening mental health, and building a new lifestyle focused on fitness.





Your contributions can help us fund the #HelpMeFitChallenge athletes and set them on the path to a new life. Without these scholarships, some individuals would not even consider what is possible. Our previous athletes have achieved great things. And perhaps even more important, they have built a community where they continue to encourage each other to be the best versions of themselves. 


DBNR is bringing an achievable vision to the HMFC athletes, breaking down barriers and helping them overcome their individual challenges. We are showing athletes how to build a limitless mindset.



Thank you for contributions and willingness to collaborate. We have an inspiring program that we’re excited to expand. Are you ready to empower some adaptive athletes?

Learn more about our new inclusive gym space here. 

DBNR Launched an app find out more. 

Have you heard? I, Wesley Hamilton , and Disabled But Not Really (DBNR) have implemented an innovative gym model. It’s a gym that enables those with disabilities to work out alongside their loved ones. This hybrid model is the first of its kind, but we’re just getting started.


The current gym model is stocked with equipment for adaptive athletes. But the next stage of our plan is to add make a gym that is completely inclusive and accessible. We want to add equipment with video displays featuring instructions in sign language for those with hearing impairments. And we are developing a partnership to make the gym accessible to the visually impaired.


We have found a perfect property for this fully inclusive gym. And there is even space to add adaptive baseball fields. So the plan is ready, but now we need a pool of funds. 


Feeling pumped yet? We’re so appreciative of your contributions to support our future adaptive athlete superstars. Thanks for your consideration.

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit The Disabled but not Really Foundation, and your donation will help make an impact and also provide me with votes for becoming The Next Impactor. Thanks in advance for your contribution, on my behalf as Mistie Layne,  to this cause that means so much to me. I am personally connected to the disability world as my grandbaby, Eliana, has HIE III and is blind, deaf, g-tube fed and cant suck or cry.  

More information about The Disabled but not Really Foundation: Providing equal access to the underserved disabled community; through programs that focus on fitness, wellness, and mental health.