Disability and Perspective

This rope, paired with a few bolts and nuts, is used to assist in accessing the trunk of my hatchback. Each time I drive from place to place, I walk to the back of my vehicle, open the trunk, pull out my mobility scooter, and then yank this rope (fastened to the trunk door itself) to lower the trunk door and swiftly toss the rope into the car as it shuts.

I use this because I am of short stature and cannot reach the trunk door to close it once it is ajar. I have instructed many people in my life to use this DIY access solution and it has become quite a task for them to master. I enjoy the opportunity to play with this rope myself and share it with others, almost as if it is a sort of game of "can you get the rope inside fast enough before the trunk shuts?"

It’s an object that one wouldn’t necessarily could be tied to the theme of disability. Disabled folks come up with cheap and creative solutions all of the time to solve basic tasks of daily living.

I am currently getting my Masters in Prosthetics and Orthotics at Northwestern University. I went into this because I was born with congenital flexion contracture of both elbows. I am unable to fully extend my arms. As a kid I also wondered how my disability would become apart of my purpose. By going into this field I feel like I’m walking into my purpose.

I’ve wanted to go into this field since I was in high school. So to be doing it is such a blessing. I have the chance to change the lives of the patients I will see in the future. Northwestern University has prepared me to change the world one prosthetic and orthotic at a time.

Because its a representation of my progress and growth during my time at Northwestern. Some days I would question if I deserved to be here or if I was enough. This project has shown me that I can do anything I put my mind to.

The ornament represents my full-size tricycle, which is named Trike D. Eisenhower. Trike is my adaptive bicycle. He has an Instagram account that chronicles our life together.

All my life I’ve wanted to ride a bicycle but have not been able to because I have a mobility disability. My sister, who also has a mobility disability, opened my eyes to adaptive bicycles. Once I gave up on the dream of being able to ride a two-wheel bike, a transition that corresponded with me accepting my disabled identity, I took the plunge and bought Trike.

Trike brings my disability to the fore in a way I don’t typically expedience. He is my only adaptive device and with him I have unique access to an activity I’ve always wanted to participate in. At the same time, he announces my disability in a way I strive more and more to be comfortable with.

Thanks for inviting me, Christy and January.

A couple of years ago, a little girl saw my hands while we were both riding the cable car as tourists in San Francisco. She was very curious but did not ask any questions. I could tell that she was holding in her bewilderment about my disability. I smiled at her. As we exited the cable car, I found that I ha[d] one pin in my bag and I gave it to her. Her face brightened and she showed the pin to her family with excitement. We both smiled at each other. It was a great moment.

I am finding my kind! (My kind as disabled people who recognize disability as their identity and heritage) I offer a replica of me as a fashion object / body adornment with the hope to reach out to other disabled people. Also, it's about cripping fashion and making disability visible. In making this piece, I metaphorically reproduce disability. It's also a way to talk back at ableism. (Disability has been the subject of systematic erasure)

I had made different versions of these pins back in undergraduate school. I handed them out at my thesis exhibition. I was just beginning [to make the] connection to disability in my art even though my disability has always been apparent. I had trouble identifying myself as disabled and did not come out until age 25.