Tag: Disabilities

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Jade Ramos | Blind Beauty Issue 35

Blind Beauty Issue 35 featured image description is in the body of the post.

Jade Ramos | Blind Beauty Issue 35

“Having a great self-confidence day so here’s my new profile pic” ~Jade Ramos

Image #1 Disability related motifs
Image #1 Disability related motifs

The above caption along with her powerful artwork is what captivated me about Jade Ramos. The beauty of her words spoke to the authenticity of her selfie, no air-brushing just a confident young woman.

Jade, who refers to herself as ‘a legally blind one-eyed artist,’ is also an extraordinary activist. I was so moved by several of Jade’s pieces I requested permission to share them here with you today.  Descriptions on each of these pieces are below.

When I asked Jade for a quote to go with this post she chose a favorite from Christopher Reeve. After becoming disabled later in life Christopher had this to say:

“I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. There is only one way to go in life and that is forward.” ~Christopher Reeve

Jade frequently thinks of this quote when things get tough or she gets bad news related to her eyesight. As a matter of fact, if you look closely at image #2 you’ll see this quote.

“Your words, attitudes, and actions impacts my life more than my disability does.

Image #2 Wheelchair icon description is in the body of the post.
Image #2

“Disability is just another way for a mind and/or body to be.”

Image #3 description is in the body of the post.
Image #3

“Make The American Dream Accessible”

Image #4 description is in the body of the post.
Image #4 Tactile Art

“The Disability Is Not The Problem The Lack of Accessibility Is”

Blind Beauty Issue 35 Featured Image Description:

Featured image is a mock magazine cover titled Blind Beauty. Jade’s cover photo is a black and white selfie of her proudly showing off her clear prosthetic right eye. She is wearing a black jacket over a black v-neck top with several stacked necklaces and has a thin lip ring in the center of her bottom lip.

Jade’s Art Image Descriptions:

  • Image #1 Disability related motifs – Assorted black disability icons on a white background. Explained by Jade: “People with disabilities are rarely seen in a positive light when it comes to representation in the media & in everyday life. So I made them have smiles. The original symbol only shows one type of white cane & one type of wheelchair user so I made new images depicting the actual reality.” While these particular images represent visual impairments, Jade will be including other disabilities as she expands.
  • Image #2 A big wheelchair icon is front and center along with quoted text including the Christopher Reeve quote. The text and several smaller icons are interspersed throughout the piece, some are black and some gray. The quotes are included in this post.
  • Image #3 This is a photo of several pieces including the disability icons and abstract art. What caught my attention are the number of statements (some quoted throughout this post).
  • Image #4 This tactile piece is the first time Jade has incorporated braille into her work. It reads “Disability! The one minority group everyone can join. Accessibility matters!”

You can connect with Jade on the following:

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All-Inclusive Club Membership | Abby’s Reflections 31

All-Inclusive Membership....quote and image description are in the body of the post.

All-Inclusive Club Membership | Abby’s Reflections 31

“Did you know membership within the largest minority group in the world is always open to everyone? It’s true, yet somehow the world still excludes the majority of us because of our membership status.”

Membership Has Its Rewards Or Does It?

Today there are about 7.5 billion people in the world. Of this number, 15% of the population has some form of disability.

Our minority group; people with disabilities (PWDs) that is, don’t care about gender, religion, education or other characteristics that define a person. We are the only minority group where anyone at any given time of their lives can become a member.

I wonder what the world would be like if the majority of the population were PWDs? Personally, I think we would still be as discriminatory as we are today because of the majority numbers game. With so many people on the planet, it’s unlikely we’ll ever be accepting of everyone but why don’t we celebrate our differences?

Instead of looking at PWDs with pity or disdain why not let’s try to be kind? Whether we are born with or acquire a disability later in life we are no more or no less human than anyone else.

We can transcend barriers by changing the way we perceive one another. The way we will achieve this goal is by sharing our stories, getting out there and living our lives.

All-Inclusive Club Membership Featured Image Description:

A white, teal and gray boldblindbeauty.com template uses the ‘Abby’s Corner’ image. Abby, sporting her signature explosive hairstyle is sitting cross-legged in her PJs (gray bottoms & white top with a gray collar). She is using her teal Abby logoed laptop with a headset/microphone and her white cane is propped up next to her.

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Broken & Misconceptions | Abby’s Reflections 19

Broken & barriers quote and image description are in the body of the post.

Broken & Misconceptions | Abby’s Reflections 19

“Society has a tendency to look at people with visible disabilities as broken. Yet we look at people with invisible disabilities with an undue amount of skepticism. The real issue is our broken society. Equal access to human rights can only happen by breaking down visible and invisible barriers.”

It’s an injustice to use broad brush strokes to paint people without knowing their full story. Projecting fear and pity onto others from our limited understanding can hurt and devalue people.

Here at Bold Blind Beauty, we believe we can improve humanity by changing the way we perceive one another. The way we achieve this goal is starting with empathy, genuine respect, and kindness.

There are ‘whole’ people living with disabilities who are positive, passionate and live their lives with purpose. There are also ‘broken’ people living without disabilities who are negative, apathetic and cannot find joy in life.

Abby’s Reflections Description: 

The featured image is a gray, teal, and white boldblindbeauty.com template. Abby is sitting cross-legged in her PJs (gray bottoms & white top with a gray collar). Her laptop (with a teal Abby logo on the cover) sits on her lap. She is sitting next to her white cane with a headset and microphone atop her signature explosive hairstyle.

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Stars Are Always Present

"Baily's Beads, On the right side of the moon, orbs of glowing sunlight shimmer off the edge of the moon's black disk. Called Baily's Beads, these final areas of the sun's light appear as glimmering pearls on a wire, made intensely bright by the absence of light surrounding them." ~Eclipse SoundscapesYesterday, for the first time in almost 40 years parts of the US experienced a total solar eclipse. So as millions of excited people gathered within the path of totality it made me think about perceptions; from the way, we perceive ourselves to how we are perceived by others.

Just as the moon eclipses the light of the sun casting shadows and even total darkness on certain parts of the earth, eyesight or lack of eyesight can eclipse the wholeness of an individual depending on our perspective.

Collage of icons representing a range of disabilities, pregnancy, mother & child, arm in cast. Often blind people have insight and clarity enabling us to see to the heart, mind, and soul of a person because we aren’t distracted by light-given sight. On the other hand, when we see a person use a white cane, guide dog, or other mobility devices, this can sometimes color our viewpoint which in turn can block us from truly seeing the whole person versus their disability.

Even during the day stars are always present, we just can’t see them because of the sun’s glare. People are sort of like this in that while we may use different tools to survive or just to live our lives, with or without our tools we are always here, we are whole.

What was your perception of the eclipse?