The beach. It's everyone's favorite summer activity, but for some, it can be a little bit harder to enjoy.
The sandy terrain can be brutal on wheelchairs (meanwhile, a specially outfitted beach wheelchair can run well over $1,000), and even when the coast has a rubber boardwalk leading to the water, that's often as far as people with physical disabilities will get.
But one charity in Italy, called Work of Love, has made it a mission since 2012 to help everyone enjoy the cool waves of the sea.
For years now, the group has rented a small patch of Little Madonna beach (just south of Rome) and outfitted it with special boardwalks, all-terrain wheelchairs, ramps, and other pieces of equipment, along with highly-trained volunteers, that help people get in and out of the water.
The beach has a boardwalk specifically to help people in wheelchairs traverse the sand. All images via Fondazione Serono/YouTube.
Now Pope Francis is throwing his weight behind the problem with a donation in his name that will cover the cost of renting a spot on Little Madonna beach.
A volunteer pushes a young man toward the water in a beach-ready wheelchair.
According to Work of Love's website, the donation caught them completely off guard in the best way.
CNN reports hundreds of people with disabilities come to Work of Love's beach every year. But new faces each summer means rising costs.
Having the pope in your corner sure helps making the rent.
And after nearly five years of service, there are many people with disabilities, and their families, who rely on this little slice of sand to be the getaway they need.
In the wake of Pope Francis' recent and widely discussed TED Talk, it's no surprise to see him make a powerful gesture like this.
"How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us," he said in the video, which has already been viewed tens of thousands of times.
Pope Francis may have flaws, but he's also proven to be a remarkable humanitarian.
Beyond just bringing light to different ways we could better serve the disabled community, he's doubling down on his belief that now — especially now — is the time to look for ways to help our fellow humans.
Even if that just means helping them have a day full of fun at the beach.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."